Stray Bullet
by Sister Ray
Summary: *Chapter 16 is here* Laeryn Chase (my original chara) meets Sephiroth, setting off a chain of events that changes their lives and alters the future of the Planet. Book II will closely follow the game plot- with a few twists, of course! R for violence and
1.

Stray Bullet  
"I am your holy totem,  
I am your sick taboo.  
Radical and radiant,  
I'm your nightmare coming true.  
I am your worst enemy,   
I am your dearest friend.  
Malignantly magnificent,  
I am of divine descent."  
  
Book 1  
  
Prologue  
North Corel  
The fight finished quickly. Laeryn, though small, was always the strongest. She used her small size to her advantage, dodging and twisting, nearly impossible to hit. She sidestepped a punch aimed at her face, and grabbed her opponent by his collar and belt. She threw him off balance with her hip, and, using his own weight as a lever, threw him to the ground. The boy lay in the dust with the wind knocked out of him and gasping for air. He managed to sit up, but he immediately started to cry when he realized he was beaten. Laeryn grinned triumphantly as she watched him scamper away. Probably he's going to tattle on me now, thought Laeryn, I'm always the bully, it's always my fault. Maybe they should just learn to defend themselves properly. She glanced up at the sky, her ice blue eyes narrowing. The sun was setting. Laeryn's parents would call for her soon, and they would no doubt be upset with her. Laeryn paused and stared up at the sun, which was just barely still visible above the black Corel Mountains, and bathed everything in red light.   
"Laeryn! Come in now! It's getting dark!" Her head snapped around at the sound of her mother's voice. She walked slowly toward her home, her feet kicking up little plumes of dust with every step.   
She pushed open the door to her house and stepped inside. Like all the other houses in North Corel, it had a forlorn look to it, even though it had been built only about eight years ago, right before Laeryn was born. Also, it seemed too small for three people to live in comfortably. The sparse furniture made it appear slightly larger, though. Laeryn's family, as well as all the others in North Corel, lived on the edge of poverty.   
North Corel had been built up around the coal mining industry, an industry that had been made obsolete by the advent of Mako energy. Once a prosperous mining town, North Corel had been largely forgotten over the past decade. With so few users of coal power still around, the inhabitants of North Corel barely had enough money to live on.   
Laeryn approached her parents cautiously. They were sitting at the kitchen table, sipping on coffee. She figured they had found out she had gotten in another fight, and braced for the inevitable lecture. That's not proper behavior for an eight year old girl! they would always tell her, you need to learn manners! You won't be able to advance in life if you keep acting like that! They told her the same thing every time. Laeryn was sickened by it. Because of her gender, she knew the only way for her to "advance in life" in North Corel would be to marry some rich guy from another town. Yuck, thought Laeryn, no way.   
"Go ahead and get ready for bed Laeryn, it's getting late. And do remember to comb your hair! It's been very tangley as of late" said her mother.  
Laeryn felt a surge of relief. Apparently, the boy's parents hadn't complained. She'd gotten off lucky. "Goodnight, mommy and daddy!" she said brightly, and ran into her room. In her room were a chest of drawers, a small bed, a sink, and a mirror on one wall. There wasn't room for anything else. Laeryn looked at herself in the mirror. There was nothing wrong with her hair! It didn't look any more tangley than usual. Nevertheless, she pulled out her comb and began running it through her choppy, chin length black hair. Her parents were still talking out in the kitchen. She was able to catch snatches of their conversation.  
"....nothing for her here, Dawn."  
"But where will she go, Kile? Certainly not...."  
"She has a fighting spirit, she's very independent, she would do well..."  
"I hope you're right about...."  
"....talk to her in the morning."  
Laeryn was intrigued. She caught the gist of the conversation; her parents were thinking of sending her away. She was both upset and excited by the prospect of leaving. On the one hand, she wondered why her parents wanted to get rid of her. On the other, she was thrilled at the chance to leave North Corel. Life in North Corel was deadly boring for Laeryn. There were not many other children her age, and most of them were rather frightened of her. She was left with very few things to do. When she was littler, she'd sneak into her parents' bedroom and admire her father's weapons. They had fascinated her throughout her entire life. The slender sword blade, which was always kept so clean that she could her reflection in it, and the elaborate, heavy shortbarrel pistol were, to Laeryn, the most interesting things in the entire town. As she had grown older and gained confidence, she would hold the gun and the sword in her hands, and then she would pretend that she was fighting off attackers, saving her parents and her hometown from monsters. Her father saw her one day, and was both amazed her predisposition for weapons handling and enraged that she was digging though his bedroom. From that day on, Laeryn was more careful about seeing the weapons. As she recalled that day, Laeryn wondered if it had something to do with what her parents were talking about. Laeryn finally forced down her anxiety and went to sleep.  
Laeryn woke early the next morning and wandered into the kitchen, still pawing sleep from her eyes. Her parents were seated at the table, eating their breakfast in silence. They both had serious looks on their faces. Laeryn took a seat, and began helping herself to sausage links.   
"Good morning", she said rather cautiously.  
"Good morning, hon", her father said, a smile on his face. Laeryn studied him. He was worried about something, and the not entirely sincere smile had failed to hide it. Her mother didn't say anything. Laeryn tried her best to ignore the unusual silence that had fallen, but it was making her nervous and she started to shift around in her chair. Abruptly, her father cleared his throat. Laeryn looked up at him, expecting him to say something.   
"Laeryn, your mother would like to ask you something. How would you feel about leaving North Corel for a while?" her father began.  
Laeryn waited a moment before responding. "Where would I go? Would I go by myself? Why would I be going?"  
Her mother smiled gently. "One question at a time please, dear."  
"Look out the window, Laeryn. Look at North Corel. What do you see?" said her father.  
Laeryn looked. "Dust. Some kids running around. Houses" she replied uncertainly, not sure why her father was asking her this.  
"Can you see yourself living the rest of your life here, Laeryn? Do you see a future for yourself here?"   
Laeryn thought about it. She never really had envisioned herself remaining in North Corel. She'd always imagined herself leaving on some quest, off to fight battles and save people and collect treasure. She shook her head. "No.....I've never imagined myself here....for my entire life...."  
"Laeryn, have you ever heard of Soldier?"  
She had heard of Soldier. They were the best fighters on the Planet. She sometimes envisioned herself as one of them, the best of the best. "Yes daddy, I've heard of Soldier."  
"Soldier is a military organization run by the Shinra corporation. Children from all over the Planet enlist in Soldier when they're about your age. They devote their lives to their training, and become the best warriors around. They act as law enforcers, protectors, bodyguards, and of course they fight in wars when necessary. Soldier headquarters are in Midgar. That is where all the cadets and officers live, and where a lot of the training takes place. Does that interest you?"  
Laeryn nodded eagerly.  
"That is where your mother and I were thinking of sending you. North Corel is a dying town. By the time you grow up, coal mining will be completely gone. There'll be nothing for you here. We want you to be successful. You're a very strong and independent girl, and there isn't much you're afraid of. You have all the right qualities to be a Soldier. Would you like to go to Midgar and enlist in Soldier?"  
"Yes, very much."  
"Even if you leave Soldier after a while, you will still be able to find a job in Midgar, still be able to be successful. You will have a future there."  
"How long will I be gone for?"  
Her parents glanced nervously at each other. "A very long time, Laeryn. You're welcome to come visit us here whenever you can, but you'll be kept very busy in Soldier. Once you leave, you may not be able to see us very often anymore. Do you understand that?"  
Laeryn nodded, suddenly nervous again.  
"We don't want to rush you into a decision, Laeryn. Take your time, think about what we've discussed. You are excused from the table."  
Silently, Laeryn left the table and went outside. She climbed up a rocky hillside near her house and perched atop and outcropping of granite, still in her pajamas. She cradled her head in her hand as her eight year old mind mulled over what her parents had told her. She stared vacantly down at the town, and saw kids playing in the streets. Normally she'd be with them, terrorizing them. Those kids'll grow up and be just like their parents, she thought, live in the same town, do the same work. Then they'll have kids of their own and the cycle will start all over again. That is, if North Corel is still around at that point in time. Laeryn suddenly felt a rush as she realized she didn't have to be trapped in that dead-end cycle. She could escape, be something other than a coal miner's wife, have weapons and responsibilities of her very own. Her mind made up, she climbed back down the hill.  
She burst into her house and proclaimed, "I have made up my mind."  
Her parents looked at her intently.  
"I want to go to Midgar and become a Soldier", she said, her voice full of confidence.   
"We knew you would decide quickly. We booked a flight to Midgar for tomorrow afternoon. We'll take the ropeway to Gold Saucer, and our flight will leave from there", said her mother.   
* * *   
Laeryn awoke at the crack of dawn the next morning. She could not even remember a time when she had been so excited. She packed her few belongings into an old knapsack and strode proudly into the kitchen, ready for departure.  
"You certainly look ready. I see you've even combed your hair. It looks very nice. Are you excited?" asked Laeryn's mother.   
Laeryn nodded eagerly.  
"Glad to hear it. The ropeway's just a short walk away, let's get going."  
Laeryn was practically bursting with excitement. She'd never been on the ropeway before, never seen Gold Saucer, never left North Corel. She stepped into the gleaming blue sky car on the ropeway. The sudden roar of the propellers was exhilarating to her. Her parents looked less thrilled than she did. A few minutes later, Gold Saucer came into view. Laeryn's jaw dropped at the sight of it. It looked like someone had dumped out a box of jewelry in the sky. It was almost blindingly bright in the morning sun and it reflected every color she could imagine onto the clouds around it.   
There was a hiss of air brakes as the ropeway docked at Gold Saucer. Laeryn and her parents stepped out of the sky car and looked at the signs around them. The airport was to the left, one sign said. Laeryn could see most of the people who came to Gold Saucer went through the airport. The ropeway was rather antiquated. Everyone and everything at Gold Saucer was shiny, and looked as if it had been made the day before and polished countless times since then. What a big difference from North Corel, she thought, where everything is dusty and drab and looks like it's been abandoned for at least five years.  
Laeryn and her parents finally stopped in front of desk, where a woman with a shiny white smile who asked to see their tickets greeted them. The woman nodded and waved for them to continue.   
Laeryn had never been on an airplane before. She immediately pressed her face to the window and watched in awe as the landscape beneath her grew smaller and smaller. She glanced over at her parents. They looked ill.   
They landed in Midgar late that night. A man in a crisp blue uniform stood at the gate and greeted them.   
"Hello, my name is Alex", said the man in a voice as crisp as his outfit, "I am a recruiter for Soldier headquarters here in Midgar. You are Laeryn, I presume."  
Laeryn nodded dumbly. She was exhausted from her day of travel, and was still trying to absorb everything she'd seen throughout the day. Alex was saying something to her parents, but she wasn't really listening.   
"Are you ready to go, Laeryn?" asked Alex.  
She nodded again.  
"Say goodbye to your parents."  
Laeryn suddenly felt a chill. The realization of what she was doing just hit her. Here she was, who knows how many miles from her home, about to leave parents for who knows how long, and some complete stranger was about to take her who knows where. Laeryn felt tears sting in her eyes. She bravely tried to fight them back, but they overflowed and began to spill down her cheeks. Her mother held her and said, "It'll be all right, Laeryn. We'll be thinking of you. Will you call us once you get settled in? We'd love to hear from you."  
"I know you can do this, Laeryn. You have the ability and drive to succeed. I know you'll be the best. We'll be so proud of you when you come to visit us", said her father, "Now, go on and go with Alex. He'll show you where you'll stay."  
Laeryn tried to say something, but her voice broke and she was silent. She slowly turned and followed Alex, waving over her shoulder to her parents.  
  
***Sister Ray's Note***  
Well there you have it folks, my first-ever attempt at at fan-fic! I've got big plans for this story, big plans. It's gonna end up being really long. I'm trying to place the emphasis on detail and character development, so I hope it doesn't get too boring! ^_^ 


	2. 

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

10 Years Later

Wutai

Laeryn's eyes snapped open. The sky was just beginning to glow with traces of dawn. She stretched, and rolled out of her cot onto the dirt floor of her tent.It was not a large tent, but it seemed spacious because she was the only one in it. _Ah, the privileges of being an officer, thought Laeryn, __I no longer have to share a tent with at least five other people. She turned and admired her black admiral's uniform. She'd been an admiral for two years now. And just last year she'd been given the highest honor any Soldier could aspire to. She had been promoted to the rank of Grand Admiral, the General's second-in-command. Her father was right. She was successful. _

Laeryn pulled her coat on over the red tube top she wore for sleeping and training, the dark brilliant colors of her clothing standing out against her ivory skin. Laeryn had never been described as a pretty girl. Most people described her appearance as striking and a bit intimidating. Her face and body formed angles instead of curves. Her ink black hair contrasted starkly with her white skin, giving her the look of an alabaster statue with pale blue gemstones for eyes. Years of training with weapons had left her hands rough with calluses. Even so, her angular features, piercing eyes, and slender, muscular build made Laeryn impossible to miss.

Since Laeryn was very tall, her black pants were too baggy, and just a bit too short, revealing some of the laces on her steel-toed combat boots. As she fastened the last of the silver buttons on the high-collared coat, she reached for her comb. She'd had the comb as long as she could remember. It made Laeryn smile as she remembered how her mother always nagged her about combing her hair. Even six months ago, when she last visited her family in North Corel, her mother remarked about her hair. _Mother, Laeryn had said, __I'm eighteen years old now. I can take of my own hair. Laeryn smiled and shook her head. Her hair was the same jet black color it had been when she was younger, but she wore it in a different style now. It was wavy and coarse and hung just past her shoulders though it was usually held back in a ponytail._

Laeryn's weapons were her most prized possessions. She had dreamed of having weapons of her own ever since she was little, and she took meticulous care of them. She pulled her long sword out of the sheath, and examined it carefully. Her cold blue eyes squinted as she searched for any speck of dust on the slender silver blade. Finally, she attached it to the longest of the belts, which wrapped around her torso. She examined her other two weapons, a short sword and a handgun, with the same scrutiny before belting them to her hips. Each of her swords had four green, marble-sized stones set into the hilt. The stones were materia. One of the privileges of being a high ranking officer was the ability to use materia. Materia was concentrated Mako energy which infused its user with magical power. Materia was dangerous and difficult to use, which is why it was only given to high ranking Soldiers who had passed numerous tests showing they could control it. 

After sliding on her black gloves, she grabbed her wrap-around sunglasses and placed them on her forehead and strode outside.

The sun was just beginning to rise over Da-Chao Peak, but it didn't bring any warmth with it. It was a damp, chilly morning, and Laeryn's heavy boots made squelching noises as she walked through the carpet of soggy pine needles. The side of the peak the Soldiers were camped on was sloped gently and covered with a thin forest made of tall, scrawny pines. The other side of the peak was almost sheer, with only a few narrow paths going up its face. That side was also covered with spectacular, giant-sized carvings of the water god, Da-Chao, and his servant gods, Omni, Magic, Power and Speed. In the shadow of the peak stood the town of Wutai, which was currently engaged in a war with Shinra over the building of a Mako reactor on Da-Chao Peak. Wutai was actually the capital of a region that spanned almost an entire continent, and as a result it was able to raise quite a sizeable army. 

Laeryn stepped out of her tent into the huge clearing that served as the Soldier campsite. She shaded her eyes with her hand and saw her commander drilling the troops. The Shinra army was divided into five sections, and an admiral oversaw each one. Each section also had a commander, who answered only to the admirals. And there was the General, who oversaw the entire operation. 

She picked out the ranks in her section by the colors of their uniforms- privates wore blue, sergeants green, colonels purple, lieutenants yellow, captains orange, and the commander wore red. There was also a white General's uniform, but the current General never wore it.

Laeryn headed out onto the field to join them, but was intercepted by a messenger girl who looked very shaken up. She managed a sloppy salute before gasping out, "Grand Admiral Chase, ma'am! A message from General Sephiroth. He wishes to see you at once." 

Laeryn smiled and shook her head as the messenger girl sped away. The General did tend to have that effect on people. Laeryn opened the envelope and looked at the message inside. It was written in cursive so meticulous that it looked as if the General had spent hours writing it, perfecting every line and curl. It read:

_Good morning, Grand Admiral Laeryn._

_You may give your troops some time off today. I want them well-rested for the attack tomorrow. Also, I would like you to join me for breakfast this morning in about fifteen minutes. I have a strategy in mind that I believe will bring us easy victory, and I want to discuss it with you. At five o'clock this afternoon, we will meet with the other admirals to tell them of our plans. _

_~ General Sephiroth ~_

Laeryn slipped the note into one of her pockets and stood there feeling rather stupid. She'd been his second-in-command and military confidante for nearly a year now, there was nothing to be excited about. She suddenly felt self-conscious, she felt the need to wipe the dew off her pants, make sure her hair was exactly in place. She could feel her heart racing, even though she was standing still. Before she could stop herself, Laeryn drew her sword. It was so polished she could see her reflection in it. Using her sword as a mirror, she adjusted a few pieces of her hair. She pushed her sunglasses back onto her forehead and looked at her face. She still had dark patches under her eyes from sleep. Laeryn frowned at her sudden fastidiousness and replaced her sword in its sheath on her back. Her heart was still pounding, and she was suddenly paranoid that other people would hear and ask her, why is your heart beating so hard? And even though she knew, she'd never be able to tell them. She'd snap at them for speaking to an officer out of turn, and continue toward Sephiroth's cabin, red-faced.

Laeryn took a deep breath. She glanced at her watch, and cursed under her breath. She had five minutes to get to Sephiroth's cabin, which was about a fifteen minute walk away. She composed herself quickly and walked across the clearing, watching the other sections go through their drills, trying to focus on something other than Sephiroth. 

Instead of a tent, Sephiroth stayed in hastily built cabin made from trees the Soldiers had cut down to form the encampment. It was raised off the ground, had a smooth stone floor and three rooms. Only one small window, though, Laeryn noticed as she approached it. She stood in front of the door, and without even thinking about it, wiped bits of mud off her pants and straightened the collar of her uniform. Only then did she notice the two guards standing on either side of the door. Laeryn was slightly embarrassed, and snapped at one of the guards, "Tell General Sephiroth I am here."

"Yes, ma'am!" replied the guard, who disappeared into the cabin. He emerged a moment later and said, "You may enter, Grand Admiral."

Laeryn stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, and the light inside was fairly dim. Sephiroth was seated at a table, eating his breakfast. His unsettling Mako-green eyes seemed to be providing most of the illumination in the room. He looked up at Laeryn, and she felt as if his eyes were shining spotlights on her. She immediately performed her fanciest salute, and then wondered why she hadn't chosen a simpler one that would have been more appropriate for the casual situation she was in. Sephiroth stopped eating and neatly wiped his mouth with a napkin. A barely perceptible smile pulled at the corners of his lips.   
"At ease, Laeryn. Sit down", he said. His voice was, as usual, soft and smooth. _Like his hair, maybe, or his skin, Laeryn wondered before she could catch herself._

"Yes sir", she replied and seated herself, feeling awful that she had been late and embarrassed by her own thoughts. 

Sephiroth chuckled gently, and gave her a slight look, almost as if he had known what she was thinking. Laeryn forced down the sudden panic at the thought that he could somehow read her mind. "Please help yourself to some food. I cannot eat all this, since I had the cooks made enough for two people" He picked up his silverware again. Laeryn watched his hands for a moment, watched the elegant way he held his silverware. His etiquette and table manners were impeccable. 

Feeling self-conscious again, Laeryn reached over and speared a couple of pancakes. As she did so, she scolded herself for acting so foolish. _I didn't get to where I am now by acting like a silly little schoolgirl, Laeryn thought firmly to herself, __I am a Grand Admiral in the best army on the Planet, and I will conduct myself in a way that is appropriate to my high ranking position. I have been Sephiroth's second-in-command for about a year, and I should not…Laeryn's thought trailed off as she stole a glance at Sephiroth. He ran one of his long, slender hands through his silver hair, which fell gracefully through his fingers and flowed down his back. As his hair moved, it caught the light from the newly risen sun and glittered as if it were actually made of metal. Laeryn tried her hardest to focus on her food, and not stare, but was having a difficult time. She was relieved when he began to speak again, so she would have a reason to look at him._

"Forgive me, Laeryn, my mind is wandering. I summoned you here to plan strategies, and I've said nothing useful thus far. Let me tell you what I have in mind", he said.

Laeryn sat, her food forgotten, as she watched him speak, watched his lips form the words. Like everything else about him, his lips were elegant and precise, exactly the way they were supposed to be.

"Our campsite is at a location that is strategically advantageous", Sephiroth continued, "The other side of this peak is almost sheer. At the top, just above where we are camped, there is a wide plateau that is as heavily forested as this area. The top of the peak overlooks the city of Wutai It will not be difficult for us to launch an effective offensive strike from this vantage point. There need not be any melee combat, and our losses will be kept to a minimum. Knowing that we were on our way, the vast majority of the Wutai army is now gathered in the city below, awaiting our next move. We will position our troops on the plateau. They will be armed solely with long range weapons- rocket launchers, vulcans, and other types of light artillery. Armed in such a way, we will be able to annihilate Wutai's army by firing down on the city. Due to the sheer cliff face, it will be difficult for them to counterattack. This plan is still rough, but I believe it has potential. What do you think?"

"We should attack when they are least expecting it. Not right before dawn, but rather shortly after they settle down at night. I think it's a good idea, though. They won't be able to mobilize in time to go around the mountain and attack us from the rear, so that shouldn't be an issue", Laeryn added, the logical, military side of her mind taking over, "Even if they did try something like that, we'd easily be able to see it."

Sephiroth nodded, the movement making his silver hair ripple. "That's a good point. They will probably be expecting an attack right around dawn."

"I'll have to think about it some more. The other admirals will probably have additional ideas", said Laeryn.

Sephiroth was silent for a moment before responding, "That will be all, Laeryn. Thank you for joining me. I expect to see you here this afternoon, when we will plan our strategy in further detail. You may go."

Laeryn rose from her chair and saluted. "Yes sir." She turned to walk toward the door, but her feet barely cooperated with her. Laeryn forced her mind to clear and purposefully strode out the door, ignoring the guards. 

Why did it always have to be like this? Laeryn wondered as she made her way back to her tent. As his second-in-command, she had worked closely with him for the past year and gotten to know him better than anyone else had. A year! That was more than enough time to get used to him, to find his faults. So why hadn't that happened? 

"Grand Admiral Chase!"

She turned her head and saw the other four admirals standing at attention. She addressed the one who had spoken, a boy two years younger than her. His dark hair was sticking out in every direction imaginable, and Laeryn couldn't help but wonder when he had last bathed.

"What is it, Zack", Laeryn mumbled, not pleased that he had interrupted her thoughts. 

"I was…uh…we were…uh…wondering what the General has in mind for the battle," Zack stammered, looking at his feet. 

"Be at his cabin at five o'clock tonight", Laeryn said absently and continued walking.

"I was…uh…we were…uh…wondering what the General has in mind for the battle," Zack stammered, looking at his feet. 

"Be at his cabin at five o'clock tonight", Laeryn said absently and continued walking. The other Admirals, Martino Valdez, Cody Salo, and Galen Rance saluted as she passed.

As she walked away, Laeryn shook her head and chuckled softly. _Poor Zack, she thought, feeling a bit of pity for him. He tried so hard to catch her eye, and she only had eyes for Sephiroth._

As she walked away, Laeryn shook her head and chuckled softly. _Poor Zack, she thought, feeling a bit of pity for him. He tried so hard to catch her eye, and she only had eyes for Sephiroth._

Sephiroth.

When Laeryn entered her tent and sat down on the cot, she immediately lapsed deep into thought again. She absently began to comb her hair and stared intently at the dark green canvas wall of her tent. Sephiroth's aquamarine eyes glittered in her mind's eye, and his hair flowed like a river of quicksilver. She flashed back to the first time she saw him, four years ago, when the previous General had retired. Laeryn was fourteen at the time, and a lieutenant. She was standing at attention, bored out of her mind listening to the old General's retirement speech. At the very end of the speech, he announced that his replacement would be Sephiroth, a twenty-one-year-old military genius, widely hailed as the best swordsman in history. Laeryn suddenly paid attention. Sephiroth. What an unusual name, she had thought, but so pleasant sounding. She'd never heard of anyone else named Sephiroth, and was very curious about what type of person would go with such a name. 

Sephiroth appeared on the stage a moment later and slowly walked toward the podium, his posture straight and rigid. Laeryn watched him closely, noticing every detail. His hands were clenched into loose fists. His long silver hair and black floor-length coat flowed behind him as he moved, and made it seem as if he were floating instead of walking.When he reached the podium, Laeryn saw his face, and suddenly everything else was dull and colorless. When he tossed his hair back from his face and began to speak, everything else was still and began to fade away. Laeryn was so mesmerized by his presence that she almost forgot to applaud at the end of his speech.

Nothing had changed since then, even though Sephiroth had shown himself to be an extremely strict and authoritarian general. When most people spoke to him he was incredibly cold, and seemed to have an air of perpetual boredom around him, as if he were wondering why inferior mortals felt the need to waste his time.He was rather short-tempered, and had not a grain of patience. Things were to be done when he said so, exactly the way he said so. No one dared do otherwise. The troops lived in mortal terror of Sephiroth's temper. 

Like everyone else, Laeryn had been subject to Sephiroth's harsh discipline and flaring rage on several occasions. She had hung her head in shame, and it was one of the few times she felt like crying. The punishments themselves were nothing to her- the extra work, menial labor and harsh words had no effect on her. The fact that she had upset Sephiroth, disappointed him, failed him, brought tears to her eyes.

Somehow, not even Sephiroth's cold demeanor and short temper could deter Laeryn's fascination with him. She wondered if he were just putting up an unfriendly façade for some reason. Surely no one could be that distant all the time. She tried to imagine what he was really like, maybe how he acted with his family and close friends.

Laeryn had managed to impress Sephiroth, though. Her natural talent for the use of both swords and guns caught his attention quickly. On one occasion she had been practicing with her swords, slashing at imaginary opponents, and had turned to see Sephiroth standing a short distance away, watching her intently. Her cheeks flushed at the memory, as she recalled how she had suddenly lost focus on her swords. She had ended up dropping one of them and slicing her hand open. 

But from that day on, Sephiroth seemed slightly less cold, almost friendly, to Laeryn, and he never missed an opportunity to promote her. As she advanced through the ranks, she became less intimidated by him. Once she gathered up her courage and spoke to him, promptly backing away, not knowing what his reaction would be. She had been quite relieved, not to mention thrilled, when he actually engaged her in conversation.

Laeryn spoke with Sephiroth more frequently, even though she usually ended up doing most of the talking. The following year he had promoted her to Grand Admiral, his personal second-in-command. Laeryn spent a lot of her time with him, and she gradually began to consider him her friend. _Just my friend, Laeryn repeated in her mind, just my friend, just my friend. Laeryn worked very hard to convince herself that friendship and respect were the extent of her feelings for him. After a moment, she sighed, and gave up._

Laeryn shook her head and steered her train of thought elsewhere. She stood up, took a deep breath, and went outside to practice with her weapons.

* * *

North Corel

"Kile, think about the future. Think about your daughter! You want her to have a hometown to come back to, don't you?" pleaded Dyne, one of North Corel's town leaders. Dyne had always been a very political man. He was always the one calling town meetings and starting debates over various issues. Normally, the town meetings were fairly insignificant and the debates were over very minor issues. The argument over the construction of a Mako reactor on Mt. Corel was very serious, and Dyne was having the time of his life with it. 

Kile shook his head, and responded from the other end of the splintery table, "Dyne, we don't _need a Mako reactor here. There's still plenty of coal left in these mountains. A Mako reactor is completely unnecessary and would drive nearly everyone in this town out of employment. Besides, not everything today is Mako powered."_

Dyne sighed, and looked to Barret Wallace, one of the few other supporters of the construction of a Mako reactor. Barret was a huge man with a deep rumbling voice, and easily spoke over the side conversations that had sprung up.

"Now ya'll listen up. I know how yer all feelin', thinkin' that a reator'll ruin our lives. But hear this. It's gonna do nothin' but good fer this town. Ain't nothin' that still runs on fossil fuels, 'cept maybe some backwoods railroad line or somethin'. But the truth is there just ain't no money in coal minin' no more. Dyne's right. You gotta think about the future. I don't want my little girl Marlene growin' up po' like I did, always wonderin' where her next meal's gonna come from, wonderin' what she's gonna do wit her life in this dead-end town. A reactor'll change all that. We won't be unemployed. We can get jobs wit Shinra, they pay good, and they always lookin' fo' new people, and they gonna need someone to take care o' the reactor. I'm only sayin' this fo' the sake of our children. They deserve better than what dis town has to offer right now."Dyne and most of the others cheered Barret's speech.

Kile leaned back in his chair, the legs creaking dangerously. Barret had made some good points. But he still had a bad feeling about this, something about it just didn't seem right. Both he and his wife wanted to stick with the more traditional ways of life, but he forced himself to think of his daughter first. She was a high-ranking officer in the army now, and the thought of her returning to North Corel and finding nothing but ruins gave him chills. She needed a home, needed a place to come back to.

"Very well, Barret. For Laeryn's sake, I'll vote for the building of the reactor" Kile sighed.

Barret's rough, dark face split into a grin. "Dat's da spirit, Kile. I'm sure Laeryn'll be excited when she hears about dis. Now, let's 'ave a vote. All in favor of a Mako reactor, 'ands up." Barret paused a moment and counted the hands. "Now all against the building of a reactor, 'ands up." Barret counted again and shook his head. "The majority is still against the building of a reactor. Alright den, We'll send da report to Shinra in da mo'nin'."

As people filed out of the small, cramped meeting house, Dyne pulled Barret aside.

"Shinra won't be happy with the result of this vote. This is the fourth meeting we've held, and the people are still against the building of a reactor", he said worriedly.

"Yeah, I know. But we gotta go wit what tha people want, Dyne. Until dey vote for it, we can't do nothin'. We just gotta hope for da best, hope dey all come 'round sooner or later."

"You're right, Barret. When we send that report to Shinra in the morning, there'll be nothing else we can do. We just gotta hope and pray that things'll turn out okay. Now let's go home, it's getting late."

* * *

"Laeryn's not in here" griped Zack, stepping away from the tent, "She's probably out taking target practice or something."

"Okay then, but I'm not gonna be the one that interrupts her, especially if she's got a gun in her hand!" yawned Cody, rolling his eyes.

The two Admirals reached the target practice area, and looked around. 

"She's not here, either, Zack", stated Cody, "She's probably on her way to the General's cabin already."

Zack shrugged and began walking the other way. He got about three steps when a bullet zinged past his head and destroyed a well-concealed target.

Both Admirals dropped to the ground. 

"Whoever's there, watch where you're shooting! You almost just killed an officer, kiddo! You could be executed for mutiny!" screamed Zack.

Laeryn emerged from behind a tree several moments later.

"Shut up, Admiral Page. Stop groveling in the dirt and get your ass in gear. There's a meeting at the General's cabin in twenty minutes. And by the way, I don't need to watch where I'm shooting. You need to watch where you're walking", Laeryn hissed angrily. Despite her tone, her eyes shone with amusement. The Admirals could be rather entertaining at times.

Zack and Cody leapt up from the ground and hastily brushed themselves off, trying to hide their embarrassment.

"Apologies, Grand Admiral Chase! We'll be on our way then! Have a good evening, ma'am!" the boys answered smartly in unison and marched away. Laeryn restrained the urge to burst out laughing.

"I can't believe I just made a fool of myself like that!" yelled Zack, smacking himself on the forehead. 

"It's hard not to make a fool of yourself in front of Laeryn. Everyone knows she's the best Soldier there is. Well, other than the General, of course" shrugged Cody.

"That's true", replied Zack, "And she reminds me so much of the General it's scary. When he retires or gets killed or something, I bet you anything Laeryn's gonna take over."

After entering the cabin, Laeryn calmly seated herself beside Sephiroth. She folded her hands in her lap and stared at them. She had to maintain better composure than she had that morning. Nothing could jeopardize her authority or her reputation. Laeryn closed her eyes and attempted to erase whatever thoughts or feelings she had for Sephiroth from her mind. Her job demanded that she be cold, calculating and objective. She had to think of the success of Shinra and Soldier above all else, and could not allow feelings for a specific individual to block her path. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she heard Sephiroth rise and move to another part of the room. Cautiously, Laeryn looked up, only to see Sephiroth directly in front of her, opening the door for Zack, Cody, Martino, and Galen. A breeze from outside caught his long hair and sent it flying out behind him. Laeryn took a deep breath and focused her attention on the tabletop again. The Admirals sat down at the table, behaving much better than they usually did, not wanting to irritate the General. Sephiroth didn't even notice their exceptional behavior. He took his seat next to Laeryn, straightened a few strands of his hair and began speaking."There will be nothing left of Wutai's army or will to resist Shinra when we have finished with them. I want every long range weapon at our disposal to be utilized. From the top of the plateau, send all hell raining down on that city. If we keep the attack quiet they will not have time to organize a retaliation before we crush them. Martino, Cody, and Galen, you will be chiefly responsible for this effort. Your troops will provide the primary wave of firepower. Zack, Laeryn, and myself will be waiting with the rest of the army a short way down the slope, to relieve you when necessary. In the unlike event that Wutai will attempt to retaliate, we will move tanks into position as well".

Zack had never been so excited in his entire life. This would be his first real battle as an Admiral. Since he'd been promoted two months ago, he'd never done anything more than simulations and training courses. Now he finally had the chance to prove what he'd learned. The fact that he would get to stay with Laeryn only thrilled him further. As Sephiroth outlined the finer details of the plan, Zack began to daydream. He imagined that Wutai did fight back, and it was up to him, Laeryn, and Sephiroth to stop them. His mind's eye surveyed the scenario, and he saw himself saving Laeryn from the Wutai troops, winning the battle, winning medals, winning Laeryn's affection…

"Admiral Page! Are you paying attention?!" Laeryn's voice cracked like a whip, and Zack hastily snapped back to reality. He looked up to see Laeryn glaring at him, her eyes like frozen blue Mako. 

"Y-yes, Grand Admiral Chase" he stammered, and continued to watch Laeryn. She sat up perfectly straight, her entire attention focuses on what Sephiroth was saying. Or was her attention focused on Sephiroth himself? Zack studied her face, and noticed her eyes. There was something different about them, something that seemed new and almost alien. When he saw the slightly less chilly look in her eyes, Zack knew he was seeing emotion. Not too many other people have seen her show emotion, thought Zack, his attention drifting again. The sudden triumph of seeing something about Laeryn that no one else had faded as soon as it came, however, when Zack realized what had caused such a reaction from her. It was Sephiroth, of course. Her eyes hadn't wandered from his face since Zack arrived. A bitter sigh escaped Zack's lips. He should have known better than to like someone such as Laeryn. Only a man as feared and powerful as Sephiroth could catch her attention. But then again, Sephiroth caught every girl's attention, so the look in Laeryn's eyes was nothing to worry about. Or was it? Sephiroth kept stealing glances at her, asked her opinion on just about every aspect of the plan…Zack sighed. Of course Laeryn liked Sephiroth. Every girl did. Even Zack's own girlfriend had pictures of Sephiroth in her room. But the fact that Sephiroth seemed to ignore every advance girls made gave Zack some hope.

"You are dismissed. Begin preparing for tonight's attack" Sephiroth said succinctly. The Admirals filed out of the cabin.

"You're really not anticipating retaliation of any sort, are you?" Laeryn asked Sephiroth, concerned that they would be poorly prepared for such a fight.

"The entire army of Wutai is in the city down there. I've had a Gelnika spy plane flying over every hour to detect traces of movement, and there have been none. And in case they do somehow mobilize without us knowing, you and I and Zack will be further down the mountain. We are better trained, better armed, and better organized than they are. It's an easy victory" Sephiroth reassured her.

"So what will you do when this war is over?" asked Laeryn, wanting to talk to him about something other than the impending battle. Sephiroth's lack of response made her uneasy, so she answered her own question in an attempt to move the conversation along."I intend to visit my parents, back in North Corel. They'll be glad to see me alive and well after the war."

She glanced up at Sephiroth. He had a distant look in his eyes, like he was searching his memory for something. The distant look passed and was replaced by a look of anguish, tinged with curiosity. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright, Sephiroth?"

"….Yes, I'm fine", he replied, sounding as if his mind were elsewhere.

He sighed, and seemed to return to the present. "I'll go back to doing what I've always done when this war is over. I'll go back to Midgar and…Shinra…and Hojo…" His voice sounded strained, and the look of anguish returned to his face. 

"Is…Hojo your father?" Laeryn asked cautiously. She had never asked him questions about his family before, and she hoped he wouldn't be angry.

"God forbid!" said Sephiroth, gritting his teeth, "The man is the closest thing I've ever seen to true evil. He tortures innocent people, Laeryn. He tortures…." He trailed off, and turned away.

Laeryn had never seen Sephiroth in such a state before. He was usually so stoic, and whatever thoughts he had about people he kept to himself. He had been friendlier to Laeryn than most others for some reason, but he was still very quiet and secretive. Laeryn shifted nervously, unsure of how to deal with Sephiroth's unexpected show of emotion. It was obvious that something was upsetting him, and Laeryn wished he were more inclined to discuss what he was thinking. Seeing him upset weighed heavily on her mind.

"Sephiroth…" she whispered, cautiously reaching out and laying a hand on his shoulder. His entire body grew tense. 

"Are you all right?" Laeryn continued, still speaking softly.

Sephiroth turned to face her. The look on his face made Laeryn want to cry. His brow was furrowed and his hypnotic eyes were widened and shining with tears, which gave him an almost innocent look. 

Laeryn gnawed on her lower lip. She desperately wanted to do something to make him feel better. _Like hold him, stroke his hair, promise him I'll never let him be hurt… Laeryn quickly captured that stray thought and buried it. __He'd freak out in an instant, she said in her mind, forcing herself to think more rationally, __whatever's upsetting him that'd only make it worse. Besides, he'd probably never speak to me again._

"Please…go now" he whispered, "I need to be alone…"

Laeryn slowly turned and headed for the door, hating to leave him_. Alone is the last thing you need to be, she thought, __you need someone to talk to and comfort you. She closed the door behind her. "Even if it's not me, you need someone", she finished her thought out loud._

Sephiroth sighed, and forced back the tears that had sprung to his eyes. He could feel the back of his right hand burning where he had been marked. He removed the glove and looked at his hand. His skin was smooth and free of calluses, since he always wore gloves. It was marred only by a large black number one tattooed on the back of his right hand. Sephiroth felt the tears he so bravely fought return to his eyes. Every time he looked at or felt that number one, he was reminded of how he was produced, not born. How he was not a man, but an experiment. How he had no parents, only caretakers who disliked him. Even though Sephiroth's eyes were shut tight, tears still leaked onto his cheeks. He covered his face with his hands, paranoid that someone would see him in his moment of weakness. As he cried, Sephiroth's memory began to run wild, bringing back images from his childhood that he wished he'd forgotten. 

Sephiroth thought of the place where he had lived his entire life. It was a towering skyscraper, but the only parts of it he ever saw were the tiny, barren room in which he slept and the laboratory where they experimented on him. Who were "they"? Sephiroth knew them only as the people who stood around him holding clipboards, watching passively as Hojo sedated him and strapped him to a metal operating table. He also remembered the looks of total apathy on their faces as the needles pierced his skin and he screamed in agony. Hojo's face wasn't apathetic at all. He was grinning a mad twisted grin, a look that Sephiroth often had nightmares about. 

Sometimes the other children who lived in the building with him were visited by their families. Sephiroth waited eagerly, knowing that someone must come for him, too. Sure enough, a man in a white coat came and gestured for Sephiroth to follow him. Sephiroth did what he had seen the other children do. He ran over to the man and hugged him. A moment later he cried out in pain as the man's foot slammed into his ribcage. As the man grabbed Sephiroth by the arm and hauled him away, he yelled at how he mustn't touch anyone again because it could be dangerous to their well-being. Sephiroth didn't understand what he meant by that.

Sephiroth had blocked out almost all the physical pain of his childhood, but somehow that kick in the ribs and the following scold were still fresh in his mind. As he slumped to the ground and hugged his knees, he could still feel the pain in his chest. And now he was the great General Sephiroth, having entered the army against his will when he was seven years old. Hojo had enlisted him, and Sephiroth objected, saying he didn't want to be in the army because he didn't want to kill people. Hojo slapped him then, and informed him that he had been created to be the perfect Soldier, that killing was all he would ever be good for, and that there was no way he was going to let Sephiroth's feelings get in the way of his "grand project". Despite his initial objections, Sephiroth grew to enjoy it, as he found fighting and martial arts to be the only outlets for his pain.

That was the only existence Sephiroth had ever known. He was punished for any display of emotions, and the worst punishments would always come for expressing affection towards anyone. Even though he was twenty-five years old, Sephiroth still wondered why no one had ever come to visit him. While other children had parents that loved them, he had none. He had always figured that there must have been something terribly wrong with himself, and that his parents hated him and gave him to Hojo. Once Sephiroth had grown up, he had overheard Hojo talking about him, saying that he was perfect, that the experiment was a success. Sephiroth knew he wasn't perfect. He must have been far from it, since everyone always seemed so displeased with him. As he grew older, he came to resent people's feelings for each other with an almost envious attitude. He chastised others for allowing their emotions to make them weak, but at the same time he longed to have what they had. They all had mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives. Sephiroth was revolted at the bonds between them, yet he couldn't help but feel a sting of jealousy. 

Sephiroth tried to remember a time when someone had loved him, or even done so much as react favorably to his existence. His childhood was devoid of such memories. During his adolescent years, everyone else his age was terrified of him, and never came near him. 

Then he remembered the day he had been promoted to General. As he stood at the podium and recited his bland and completely contrived acceptance speech, he saw a single pair of eyes watching him intently; all the others were downcast out of respect or fear, he never knew which. Sephiroth never would have remembered that day if it hadn't been for those chilly blue eyes, which looked at him without fear or hatred. In fact, they held something that seemed to be quite the opposite. 

Those eyes belonged to Laeryn, of course. The only person alive who 

did not appear to either despise him or be terrified of him, which puzzled Sephiroth to no 

end. He had treated her no differently than any other Soldier, and she had been subject to his 

anger on several occasions. Somehow, not even seeing him at his worst could frighten her. It 

seemed that nothing could frighten her. Sephiroth had always been intrigued by her 

fearlessness, and he grudgingly admitted that the intrigue had grown to respect. That 

fearlessness moved Laeryn into a class of her, because she was the only one who had such a 

quality. But at the same time it bothered him not knowing why she was so unafraid. He 

knew it wasn't because she was stupid. In fact, she possessed a military genius that rivaled 

his own. So what was it? He couldn't answer that question. And then the question itself had 

become more complicated when Laeryn had done something for him that no one else ever 

had. She showed concern for him. Sephiroth recalled a bit more vividly than he cared to the 

sound of genuine worry in her voice as she asked if he was all right, and the way her icy eyes 

thawed a bit to reveal something he didn't understand. And then she _touched him. Not to _

hurt him, but to… Why _had she touched him? Her touch was so light and cautious that he _

barely felt it through the thick fabric of his trench coat, but he felt it nonetheless.


	3. 

  
Chapter 3: The Trigger  
Midgar  
President Shinra impatiently scanned the reports from North Corel, his feet resting on the surface of his spotlessly neat desk. He was not pleased. He sank a bit further into his overstuffed office chair and gnawed on a cigar that was almost as fat as he was. His beady blue eyes gleamed with anger, and his shaggy yellow mustache began to twitch. His son, a small reedy boy of about sixteen with the same yellow hair and blue eyes as his father, stood behind him. The President glanced up suddenly, addressing the three men standing before him.   
"These stupid people! I can't even believe this! This is what, the fourth vote they've had? For Christ's sake!" fumed President Shinra.   
The three men did not respond. They continued to stand perfectly straight and still, looking more like mannequins than live people. They were clad in matching navy blue suits, and matching dark glasses that hid their eyes from view. The largest of the three stepped forward. Unlike the other two, his head was shaven, and he was quite heavily built.  
"Shall we request another vote, Mr. President?" asked the clean-shaven man.   
"No, Rude, we won't. I'm sick of voting. I'm sick of all this 'let the people decide for themselves' crap. From the outcome of these votes, it is clear that 'the people' don't even know what's good for them. That's why I'm here to make up their minds", answered the President.   
The second man was very tall and gaunt, and his white face was covered in scars. He had flaming red hair that hung past his shoulders and was pulled back into a neat ponytail.  
"What are we to do then, Mr. President?" asked the tall scar-faced man.  
"Destroy the town, Reno. I'm sick of their resistance. A Mako reactor needs to be built in that mountain. To hell with their coal mining crap", bellowed President Shinra.  
The third man had darker skin and black hair worn in the same style as Reno's.  
"With all due respect, Mr. President, doesn't that seem a bit drastic? What about the people in the town?" asked the dark-haired man.  
President Shinra's blubbery face began to quiver.  
"Who cares about the people in the town, Tseng! They're the ones causing all the problems. Burn them to ashes along with their miserable little town. Rude and Reno, get to it. Take some of the Soldier trainees along, too. It'll be a good first mission for them. Toughen 'em up a bit. Tseng, you'll be back here monitoring the whole operation. Let's move, people! I want this done quickly, I want it done quietly. I intend to blame the town's destruction on a construction accident, so there better not be any witnesses!", barked the President.  
"Yes, sir", Reno, Rude, and Tseng replied and slipped out of the room.  
* * *   
Wutai  
Night had completely fallen on Da-Chao Peak. It was even colder now that the sun had set, and a cold wind whipped across the plateau and rushed down the side of the peak. The rumble of tanks had obliterated normal forest sounds and the clanking of artillery as the Shinra army positioned itself for the attack. Cody, Martino and Galen led their troops to the top of the plateau, where there was a clearing in the forest. The Soldiers assembled as quietly as possible, shuffling around trying to keep warm. No one wore gloves or extra clothing for fear that it would impede their ability to operate weapons. In Wutai below, exterior lighting of houses glittered softly and complete silence prevailed. If the Gelnika spy planes hadn't provided evidence otherwise, no one would have guessed that a large army was amassed there.  
A row of Soldiers lay on their bellies near the edge of the cliff, their sniper rifles trained on the sleeping city. Behind them, row upon row of artillery was lined, each manned by several Soldiers. Cody, Martino and Galen wandered through the sea of weapons, making sure everything was positioned correctly.  
"Everything looks good, Cody", whispered Martino, his breath crystallizing in the air.  
Cody nodded. "Now we just wait for the General's word to begin the attack."  
"When he does, I'll fire the first shot to signal to the rest of the troops that the attack's starting", Galen said, rubbing his hands together vigorously.  
The three Admirals jumped in place to keep warm, and fought down sudden twinges of fear and nervousness.  
Lower down on the slope, a brigade of tanks and the remainder of the Soldiers lay amidst the scattered pine trees, anxiously waiting for the attack to begin. Laeryn stood with her eyes squinted against the wind. She was not wearing her black officer's coat, and the red tube top she wore didn't offer much warmth. The coat was too big for her, and the sleeves hung down past her fingertips, which she found very annoying. Her hands flexed continually to keep her fingers loose enough to use her handgun. As she jogged in place to stay warm, Laeryn felt something heavy drape around her shoulders. She glanced sideways to see that Sephiroth's trench coat had appeared there. It was warm from his body heat, and she pulled it around herself like a cloak. Laeryn looked around for Sephiroth, and saw him speaking with Zack a short distance away. Her eyes widened at the site of him, his torso bare without the trench coat, and rippling with muscles. In his left hand he held his sword, the Masamune, which was as tall as he was. It had been forged by Ancients, countless thousands of years ago. It was said to have mystical properties, which allowed it to remain intact for such a long time. Other than the person who made it, Sephiroth was the only one in history who had the strength and skill to wield the six foot long sword.  
Laeryn turned her head again, and noticed that Sephiroth was standing right next to her.   
"Jesus, Sephiroth, you must be freezing. Take your coat", she demanded.  
"The cold does not bother me", Sephiroth replied, almost in monotone.  
"Well, I can't wear it into battle. It'll get lost", she insisted.  
"I have others. Your troops should be in position by now. I'm going to signal to the Admirals to begin the attack", he answered, changing the subject.  
He unclipped a handheld radio from his belt.  
"Admiral Salo, do you copy? This is the General", he said quietly into the radio.  
"Yes sir! Shall we begin the attack?" Cody's voice crackled through the radio.  
"Fire at will, Admiral", replied Sephiroth before putting the radio away.   
* * *  
Moments after firing the first rocket, Galen looked over the edge of the peak and saw one of structures below blossom into glowing flames. The rest of the troops immediately launched their first salvo, and paused to reload. In the city, panic had arisen as people began milling about in the streets and the army sprang to life. It began setting up artillery of its own, and soon there were rockets, tank shells and sniper bullets flying both ways. The red light from flames danced eerily across the giant stone faces on Da-Chao peak, making them look amused in a demented sort of way, as if they enjoyed the bloody spectacle unfolding before them.  
On the plateau, the Admirals threw themselves low to avoid a shower of debris from a rocket impact.  
"Martino, you've been an Admiral the longest right?" asked Galen through clenched teeth.  
"Yeah why? This is no time for idle chit chat!" snapped Martino.  
"We need to take out their artillery. All of it! We're losing troops. Do you have your materia?" Galen demanded urgently.  
Martino's eyes widened momentarily. Martino drew his sword and looked at the hilt, which was set with four green stones, each the size of a large marble.   
"Of course I have my materia! It's in my sword, retard", snapped Martino, suddenly very nervous at the idea of having to use materia in a real battle. The only person alive who had complete command of materia was the General, who was elsewhere.   
"Well, use that electricity one and fry the circuits on those launchers!" yelled Galen, raising his voice over the racket of the battle.  
Martino signaled to a nearby group of Soldiers. "Cover me!"  
He approached the edge of the cliff and gripped his sword handle, swallowing his nervousness. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, which he found rather difficult due to the deafening noise of the battle.  
"Bolt", he said softly.  
Tails of lightning shot from Martino's hands and sword and hurtled toward Wutai's defense line. Martino flew backwards from the force of the spell. As he rose shakily to his feet, Cody came running up.  
"Martino! Something's wrong! Only half of Wutai's army is in the city!" he gasped.  
"Did you see that, Cody?! I just took out almost that entire artillery line! Wait....what did you just say?" Martino said breathlessly.  
"I said, only half of Wutai's army is in the city!" Cody screamed.  
"Oh, crap."  
* * *  
"We should be hearing from Salo and the others soon now", Sephiroth randomly remarked. He, Laeryn, and Zack and been positioned on slope for nearly two hours, and were becoming rather jumpy.  
Almost immediately, Sephiroth's radio beeped, and he picked it up. Martino's frantic voice could be heard through the thin haze of static.  
"General Sephiroth sir! This Martino Valdez! I hope you're prepared for an attack, because there's one its way! Only half of the Wutai army is in the city; the rest is headed your way!  
"You heard him! Wutai is on its way here. Get to your posts and prepare your troops. Now!!" commanded Sephiroth.   
Laeryn and Zack jumped up, quickly forgetting the cold. They reached their respective squadrons, which immediately moved behind the tanks and began to load their weapons. Laeryn swapped her handgun in for a fully automatic weapon.  
Laeryn had just finish delivering her commands when a shrill whistle rang out. She looked up to see a glowing ball followed by a white smoke trail snake across the night sky. The rocket collided with a tree and burst into flames.  
"Move forward! Now! The attack has begun!" Laeryn screamed.  
The tanks began to rumble, plowing over the thin pine trees. Laeryn ran ahead with the front lines.  
They reached Wutai's front lines, and combat began instantly. Projectiles continued to fly through the air, hitting the ground and throwing up showers of dirt and gore. Burning trees and the flash of gunfire provided the only lighting for the scene. The heat of the flames was debilitating, and Laeryn was glad she hadn't worn her coat.   
Laeryn signaled a retreat to the first wave of troops, and the second wave immediately rushed in. Laeryn headed for the back lines, helping to carry the wounded. She was breathing hard from the heat and exertion and determination, her swords crusted with blood, every one of her bullets fired into Wutai soldiers. The blood was one her body too, covering her forearms and making it look as if she were wearing red satin gloves.   
She saw Zack near the row of ambulance trucks, gathering more ammunition.   
"Zack! How are we doing?" she asked, recovering her breath.  
"I'm all right, for the time being" he replied shakily, "There were a number of casualties in the initial charge. I went in with the second line. We're doing well now, I think. We should be hearing from the General shortly. You look like you did pretty well yourself, not a scratch on you that I can see."  
Laeryn nodded, and lowered her sunglasses over her eyes to shield them from the glare of the fire.   
"Speaking of Sephiroth, where is he?" inquired Laeryn.  
Zack shrugged. "I don't know. Wherever you see the most people dying, that's probably where he is."  
Laeryn grabbed another round for her gun and headed back into the fray.  
The Wutai soldiers turned and began to run, trampling over each other as they desperately tried to escape, leaving a trail of tattered corpses and churned reddish mud in their wake. Laeryn watched as they ran, and began running in the opposite direction. It didn't take her long to see why they were fleeing.  
Sephiroth was chasing them, and the unlucky few at the rear turned to face him. The glow of his green eyes overpowered the firelight. Laeryn watched as he wielded the Masamune with grace and skill, as if it were an extension of his arm. Another set of Wutai troops turned on him, and with a flick of his wrist the Masamune snarled and sliced through their bodies like wet red paper. Some of the troops deeper into the line pulled out their guns and took aim at Sephiroth. Laeryn bolted toward him. Even though he was the greatest swordsman in history, swords couldn't defend against bullets. Laeryn soon saw they didn't have to. The soldiers fired. Laeryn screamed, expecting to see a hail of bullets tear through Sephiroth's body. But it never happened. Sephiroth continued his pursuit, bits of red pouring down on him and anyone nearby as the Masamune made it rain blood. The soldiers lost their nerve, threw down their guns and ran for their lives. Laeryn just stood there, her eyebrows raised in confusion. She had just seen at least a dozen men fire at Sephiroth, and not one bullet had hit him. He can't be entirely human, Laeryn thought. No human could possibly survive that, and fight that good. Or look that good, she added as an afterthought.  
Laeryn focused and continued running toward him, pulling out her swords in preparation for hand to hand combat. She gave Sephiroth his space, not wanting to get too close to a battle-crazed warrior with a six-foot-long sword. Tanks were plodding along behind them, firing into the middle of Wutai's army.   
Laeryn focused hard on the task at hand, taking on groups of three or four at a time. She was aware of her surroundings, glancing upward from time to time to watch for incoming rockets, and watching her footing to avoid tripping over chunks of bodies. Laeryn encountered a gap in the line, and she paused a moment to catch her breath, wiping the blood from her hands onto her black pants. Sephiroth was a short ways off to one side, still single-handedly sending an entire army into a chaotic retreat. The tanks continued their steady advance behind him.   
Laeryn glanced at the night sky again. It was glowing ashen gray now instead of black, its typical darkness obscured by smoke from burning trees and flying rockets, which continued to sail overhead. Most of the rockets were aimed into the troops, but Laeryn noticed one with a slightly different trajectory. It was set to strike one of the tanks. The tanks were not far behind Sephiroth. They can't kill him with their weapons, so they're trying to kill him with an explosion, Laeryn realized.   
* * *   
The city of Wutai was not faring well. Many of the buildings had been leveled, but the army was still putting up a fight, determined to fend off the invaders. Much to the dismay of Martino, Galen, and Cody, the Shinra Soldiers had taken much heavier losses than expected. Even after Martino's impressive lightning bolts, enough artillery remained to cause damage to the troops on the plateau.   
"The city's gone, Galen. There's not really anything left of it", sighed Cody, "And there have been too many injuries. I think we're done here."  
Cody looked at the girl stretched out in front of him, a victim of sniper bullets from Wutai. The girl couldn't have been any older than twelve or thirteen. At seventeen, Cody was one of the oldest Soldiers. Laeryn and Sephiroth were his only seniors.   
Galen returned the sigh as he set the girl's shattered arm into a splint. "The General has his hands full further down the mountain, but I doubt he's forgotten us. I bet he'll signal a withdrawal at any moment."  
Cody shrugged. "I hope so. I'm going to go see what Martino's up to."  
Martino was about to signal a withdrawal himself. His troops were getting tired, and with the city of Wutai in ruins, there was nothing to do but fire aimlessly into the enemy lines. He raised his hands in the air and opened his mouth to shout, but he was cut off when he felt himself knocked sideways.   
"Martino!" screamed Cody as he ran toward the explosion that had erupted near his friend.   
Martino saw Cody running toward him and tried to stand, but found that he was unable to.   
"Good news, Martino! Wutai's retreating and we.... Oh my god! Galen, get out here now! And bring a stretcher", yelled Cody.  
"Don't try and move; you're losing a lot of blood, but you'll live", he reassured Martino, whose face widened in terror at the sight of his injury. Galen arrived just then.  
"It's all right, Martino. Just be still. Wutai's retreated; there's nothing left for them to defend. We'll report to the General and get you to a hospital right away" said Galen. Martino nodded dumbly, fighting for consciousness against the pain.  
* * *  
Laeryn had never moved so fast in her entire life. She was only dimly aware of what she was doing, all her attention was directed toward Sephiroth. She felt her feet leave the ground, and the site and sound of a nearby explosion filled her senses. There was an impact as she collided with Sephiroth, coiling her arms around his waist and knocking him to the ground. A sudden agonizing pain in her lower back sharpened her senses again, and she looked down to see Sephiroth's very surprised face looking up at her. Laeryn felt darkness seeping into her vision. If I'm going to die, she thought, at least I'll die happy looking at him. With her last vestige of consciousness, Laeryn softly ran her fingers across Sephiroth's cheek, leaving a smear of blood where she had touched him.  
Sephiroth felt Laeryn go limp. He squirmed out from under her, trying to move her as little as possible. He looked down at her, and saw the dark red stain seeping through the back of her shirt and forming a small puddle around her.   
"Page!" Sephiroth grabbed Zack's arm as he ran by.  
"Sir?"  
"Get an ambulance! Fast! Don't just stand there looking confused, this is urgent!" Sephiroth yelled at the top of his lungs. Zack saw Laeryn laying in a pool of her own blood and lit off so fast he almost tripped over his own feet.   
Sephiroth watched the Wutai army continue its helter-skelter retreat, and knelt beside Laeryn. He tried to stop the bleeding from her back, but his hand scraped over metal instead of the cloth of her shirt. Sephiroth gasped when he realized there was a good sized piece of shrapnel imbedded in Laeryn's back. Which would have been imbedded in my stomach if she hadn't tackled me, Sephiroth thought bitterly.   
Zack and a younger boy rushed back to the scene. They laid a stretcher on the ground next to Laeryn, and Sephiroth cautiously shifted her onto it, being careful not move her too much or roll her onto her back.   
"Thank god there's an ambulance here, Zack! Martino just passed out; look what happened to him", panted Galen, who looked like he was on the verge of tears.   
Zack bit his lip and turned away. Two of his best friends were unconscious and badly wounded. I can't deal with this, he thought, if had known it was going to be like this...  
Feeling numb, Zack helped lift Martino and Laeryn into the ambulance. The younger boy who helped him with the stretcher sat down next to him as they watched the ambulance drive away.   
"You knew them, huh? You gonna be okay?" he asked.  
Zack nodded. "They will live. And I can't lose it now. Since Laeryn's hurt and Sephiroth stayed with her, I'm one of the commanding officers of this army."  
The boy saluted. "Yes sir! And I hope you don't mind me saying so, but I suggest that we regroup and get the hell out of here."  
"I couldn't agree more. Thanks for your help with the stretchers back there, too. What's your name?"  
"Cloud Strife, sir! Number 2856, squadron B, commanding officer Galen Rance, sir!"  
Zack couldn't help but smile at the boy's enthusiasm. "C'mon, let's head back to camp."  
* * *   
A Week Later  
Shinra Headquarters, Midgar  
Sephiroth stared at the ceiling, aimlessly drumming his fingers on the arm rest of the chair he was sitting in. He was sitting in the waiting room of Shinra Hospital, and he hated it. Hospitals reminded him of Hojo. The clean, overly sanitized smell in the air made his skin crawl. He wanted to leave, but his nervousness kept him pinned to the chair. Laeryn was somewhere in the winding corridors of this building, and he had to know if she survived.  
Sephiroth heard someone coming down the hall, and turned to see who it was. He watched silently as Galen and Cody walked slowly past him, pushing a partially awakened Martino in a wheelchair. Martino's legs had been blown off during the battle. Although he had quickly recovered from the surgery and treatment, he would obviously never walk again. He would be honorably discharged from service. And then there were Cody, Galen, and Zack. Despite years of training and simulation, nothing could fully prepare them for their first real battle. Even though they had performed well, they hadn't understood what war was all about. So few people do, thought Sephiroth, to them it's just a chance for honor and glory. And so it had been for Zack, Cody, Martino and Galen. But now they have seen what it's really like. They have killed real people. I don't know if they will ever recover. Sephiroth leaned his face on his hand. Their best friend had been terribly wounded. It would be hard for them to go on. He knew there was nothing he could say to them.   
Sephiroth had always looked at other people's lives the same way they looked at his; like he was a statistic, or an interesting specimen, certainly not something that was capable of complex emotion or higher thought. The Admirals turned and looked at him, their eyes red with tears. Sephiroth continued staring into space, unable to comprehend what they were experiencing. Maybe there were people out there who had shed tears and sympathy for them, which is why they were able to feel that way for Martino. Sephiroth cracked his knuckles and realized how stupid he sounded to himself. Why did it matter if they were crying over someone? It happens. People get hurt, they die, life goes on. Apparently he had been mistaken in his decision to promote Galen, Cody, and Zack. Such weakness was not keeping with an officer in his army. That is correct, he told himself, which leaves no justification for why I have been torturing myself by sitting in this room for the past week. Sephiroth stood up to leave. As his hand rested on the door, the thought crossed his mind, what if she died and I never saw her again? No! So what if she dies? People die all the time, I've seen them die, I've made them die. And I have never cared, never felt. But now... Sephiroth stood in a state of complete confusion, his long-neglected emotions suddenly rising to the surface and conflicting with his cold, brutally logical mind.   
* * *  
Laeryn could feel consciousness creeping back into her mind, but she didn't open her eyes. She heard people moving around her, and voices, but she couldn't understand what they were saying. A dull ache in her back was a background for what little else she was aware of. Laeryn knew she must have been captured, though. The last thing she remembered was Sephiroth's startled face. She knew she had passed out after that. Since she was a high ranking officer, she figured that Wutai soldiers would have leapt at the chance to capture her, to use as a bargaining tool, or bait for some sort of trap, perhaps. And it wasn't like Sephiroth to dash off into battle and save her. Laeryn tensed as she heard someone approach her. Feigning sleep until the last moment, Laeryn lashed out with her fist and heard a satisfying crack as it connected with someone's face. She opened her eyes and sat up quickly. Brutal pain shot through her back, and she couldn't suppress a scream of agony. She lay back down, gritting her teeth, trying to figure out where she was and what had happened.  
Sephiroth smiled as he saw one of the doctors dash past him, clutching a broken nose. Moments later, a nurse emerged, and stated, "Sephiroth? Er, I mean, sir...I mean.... Laeryn has regained consciousness. You may see her if you like."  
"I heard", he replied, and entered Laeryn's room. Laeryn was lying on her side, with her back towards him. She had a sheet pulled up to her hips, and Sephiroth could see the mass of stitches and surgical staples that held her lower back together. Looking at a small steel table nearby he saw a chunk of metal the size of his fist, which had been removed from her back. Her skin looked almost as white as the sheets on which she lay, and her plume of hair flowed like a jagged ribbon of ink down her back. The drape of the sheets called attention to the point of her hips, which was usually hidden by her baggy uniform pants. Sephiroth noticed that, for the first time since he had seen her, she looked...vulnerable.   
"Laeryn?" he called softly, not really sure if she was awake or not.  
A muffled grunt was the only verbal response from Laeryn, but she slowly, painfully, turned herself over so that she was facing him. She looked at Sephiroth, and noticed that his eyebrows were raised ever so slightly. Laeryn abruptly remembered that she had no shirt on, and hastily pulled the sheet up to cover her chest. Sephiroth awkwardly cleared his throat, his face almost as red as hers.   
"Where am I, and how did I get here", Laeryn demanded, to break up the embarrassment.  
"You're in the military hospital in Shinra Headquarters in Midgar. You were brought here right at the end of the battle, which we won, of course. You have been here for about a week. If you are also wondering what happened to you, just look that table over there. See that chunk of metal? That was lodged in your back", Sephiroth answered.  
Laeryn's eyes widened momentarily at the piece of metal. She was lucky she wasn't paralyzed, or worse, dead.   
"And what were you thinking, anyway?" Sephiroth continued, his tone decidedly irritable now, "You were nearly killed. You easily could have avoided that blast, but for some reason you insisted on running right towards it. And then you threw me to the ground in the middle of the battle! It's even luckier that one of us wasn't skewered by Masamune, or run over by tanks as we were lying there. I'm familiar with your skill as a Soldier, and I know that you're capable of logical thought and wise decision making. That little episode, however, was not an example of either of those traits, and I certainly expect that it will never be repeated."  
Laeryn lowered her head against her pillow, not wanting to look at him. Sephiroth was right, she hadn't thought about what she had done. She had acted on impulse, on instinct, on something else altogether. She didn't even try to explain it to him, she knew he wouldn't understand. A muffled apology was all she could manage for a response.  
Sephiroth continued to glare at Laeryn, but he stopped a short while later when he realized that she wasn't looking at him. He sighed softly. "Apology accepted. Although I would still like to know what compelled you to do something so senseless."  
Laeryn shifted nervously under the sheets. What was she supposed to say to him now? If she told him she had risked her life to protect him, he would probably become even more unhappy. He won't understand, he couldn't comprehend what a person must feel to be willing to die for another, Laeryn thought miserably, and remained quiet.  
"So how was the celebration?" Laeryn asked, desperate to start any conversation since the awkward silence bothered her so much.  
Sephiroth looked puzzled. "What celebration?"  
"Well, doesn't Shinra usually have some sort of victory celebration whenever they win a war?"  
"Yes, but I told them to postpone it."  
"Why?"  
Now Sephiroth was at a loss for a response. He studied the ceiling for a few moments before answering, "Because I wasn't sure if you had survived."  
"Oh....well, I'm alive", Laeryn answered. She knew her response sounded completely vapid, but she was unable to think of anything better to say, so stunned was she by the knowledge that Sephiroth actually cared whether she lived or died.  
Sephiroth nodded. "You will be released from the hospital in five days. That is when we will have the celebration. You will also receive your leave then, and you may visit your family."  
Laeryn's heart leapt at the thought of seeing her parents again. Six months had passed since her last visit to her hometown of North Corel, and she missed her mom and dad terribly. She called them and wrote to them whenever she could, but she seldom had time for such communications.   
Laeryn smiled, looking Sephiroth in the eyes once again.   
"Why are you here, Sephiroth?" she asked suddenly, accidentally vocalizing the question that had been running through her mind since he showed up. A look of surprise crossed his face; the question had caught him completely off guard. He quickly recovered, though.  
"I apologize if I'm bothering you. I'll go now", he replied, dodging the question.  
"No!" Laeryn said a bit too eagerly, blushing, "I...I didn't meant that. I don't even know why I just said that. Just ignore me....." She trailed off mumbling.  
"Speaking of questions", Sephiroth suddenly continued, "You never answered mine." Why was he being so insistent on knowing the reason she had saved him? That thought traveled through both their minds as Laeryn fished around for a reasonable answer.  
Laeryn sighed, trying to give an impression of casualness, like throwing him to the ground and nearly giving her life for him was part of her daily duty, her obligation as a Soldier.  
"I did it so you wouldn't get hurt," she answered quickly.  
Sephiroth looked utterly baffled. She could tell that he wanted to keep asking her why, but was too confused to even formulate a question.   
"I should go now, President Shinra will want to hear of your recovery. And you need to rest, Laeryn. I'll see you in five days then, at the celebration." He turned to leave the room, and Laeryn didn't stop him this time. She knew she had made him uneasy, and that he was in a situation that he could neither understand nor deal with.   
"Goodbye, Sephiroth," she replied softly as he left.  
Laeryn leaned her head back into the pillow and closed her eyes. Now that Sephiroth was gone, she felt the pain in her back again. She had completely forgotten about the pain when she had heard his voice. In fact, she had been so caught up with him that she'd forgotten she wasn't wearing a shirt.... Laeryn felt her face burn at the memory, and hoped that Sephiroth would forget. Despite her initial embarrassment, Laeryn felt happy. Sephiroth had done something he had never done before, which was to show concern for another person's well being. Her well being. He came to visit her in the hospital, when surely there were more important things he needed to attend to. He had even postponed the victory celebration until she would be able to attend... Laeryn smiled.   
If only Sephiroth realized how sweet he's being, she thought, and even though he can't really handle his emotions, he's so cute when he tries to hide them... Cute? Laeryn shook her head. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd described anything as "cute", but somehow it seemed so fitting for Sephiroth's little emotionally awkward moments. Who knows what's come over me. Maybe I'll wake up and feel the urge to prance around in a pink dress sprinkling flower petals around. God forbid! Laeryn laughed to herself at this thought, and continued smiling until she fell asleep.  
  
  
***Sister Ray's Notes***  
Finally, some action! Hopefully all of you people that were falling asleep reading the first two chapters can wakie up now ^_^ Nah, I don't really think it was that boring. I'm just hard on myself sometimes. Anyways, I thought this chapter turned out pretty well if I do say so myself. 


	4. 

Chapter 3  
The Next Day  
Sephiroth stood silently in front of President Shinra's desk, waiting to be acknowledged. Thin gray trails of cigar smoke curled around Shinra's head, and the smell of it made Sephiroth cough. He wondered how the numerous plants in the office had been able to survive when the air was so contaminated.  
"Ah, it's the great Sephiroth. I already heard about the fight with Wutai, good job with that. We've already sent in a survey team to begin construction of the Mako reactor on that mountain. However, I still need loss figures", coughed Shinra.  
"Squadron A, 4000 Soldiers, 567 down, 662 wounded. Squadron B, 4000 Soldiers, 531 down, 698 wounded. Squadron C, 4000 Soldiers, Squadron D, 4000 Soldiers, 445 down, 603 wounded, Squadron E, 4000 Soldiers, 515 down, 678 wounded", Sephiroth replied in monotone.  
"And the officers?" pressed Shinra, cigar smoke billowing from his mouth and nose.  
"Admiral Martino Valdez was maimed. Both his legs had to be amputated. I had him honorably discharged from service. Grand Admiral Laeryn Chase was also wounded....rather severely...but she will be out of the hospital in four days", Sephiroth continued, lapsing out of monotone.  
President Shinra nodded. "Very well. Find a replacement for Valdez. I need good officers to keep my army running. Good thing Chase lived, she's a valuable asset to my company."  
Sephiroth rose and turned to leave, slightly disgusted at President Shinra. The President held the lives of others in even lower regard than he did. And Laeryn was not just a valuable asset to his company...  
"Sephiroth? Don't leave so soon, I don't recall dismissing you", snapped the President.  
Sephiroth stopped, but didn't turn around.  
"Return to your quarters. Professor Hojo will be coming to fetch you in one hour. Don't start pestering me about what he wants with you, I have no idea", Shinra waited a moment longer, just to spite Sephiroth, "Alright, you are dismissed."  
Sephiroth stormed out of the office. He hated President Shinra almost as much as he hated Hojo.   
Back in his room, Sephiroth paced mindlessly. His room resembled a hospital room more than any type of living quarters. Everything in it was white. The walls, the bed linens, the floor, the bathroom fixtures, the lights in the ceiling. The sterile, unnatural whiteness of it nearly drove him mad. It hadn't bothered him as much when he was a child, but as he grew older it began to grate on his nerves more and more. Fortunately he hardly ever spent time there, since he was usually away on missions for Soldier.   
Sephiroth closed his eyes to drown out the painful white. He took a deep breath and fought down a sense of impending dread. Throughout Sephiroth's life, he had learned to fear nothing, because there was nothing he could not destroy or subdue. Except for Hojo. Fear of Hojo had been with Sephiroth his entire life. A sigh escaped Sephiroth's lips as he continued pacing, waiting for his tormenter.  
* * *  
Shinra headquarters was surrounded by a series of high-rise apartment building in which the twenty thousand Shinra Soldiers resided during peace time. The apartments were nothing fancy, furnished with only the barest of necessities. Zack Page sat on the on a dirty brown couch in one such apartment, staring blankly at the flickering images on a thirty inch TV screen. Cody Salo and Galen Rance sat on either side of him. Zack angrily threw down the remote.   
"How the hell can they have the same thing on every news station for four straight days?" yelled Zack. It was true; the news stations had talked about nothing but the victory over Wutai for the past few days. Cody and Galen shrugged, and continued watching. Zack settled down again after a moment, sinking into the overstuffed cushions of his couch. The fate of Martino had weighed heavily on all their minds. Martino had been honorably discharged, and had gone back to live with his family in Kalm.   
Cody and Galen had not recovered either. Nightmares plagued both their dreams, images of flowing blood and burning trees and pieces of human flesh made airborne by explosions danced through their heads. And they recalled with agonizing clarity the site of Martino as they lifted his unconscious form into the ambulance, his legs completely shattered. Cody leaned forward and buried his face in his hands.  
"I...I don't know if I can do this anymore", he announced to his companions, "After what happen to Martino...after what I've done..." His voice broke off. Galen was silent, but from the agonized look on his face it was clear that his thoughts were similar to Cody's.  
Zack felt it, too. The images of Martino's shredded legs and Laeryn's gruesome back injury were fresh in his mind. He forced them away, though, and didn't react.  
"Guys, you can't just give up like this. Look how far you've come", Zack pleaded, not wanting the other two Admirals to leave him. Cody, Galen and Martino were his best friends.   
"Zack, I need to go. I don't feel well", Galen finally said as he headed for the door. Cody followed him without a word. Zack sighed heavily and leaned his head back.  
He nearly jumped through the roof a few minutes later when a timid-sounding knock reached his ears. He answered the door, and saw a familiar short blonde boy standing there.   
"God Zack, you look like hell", said the smaller boy, noticing the deep circles under Zack's eyes, his even-more-unkempt-than-usual hair, and the ratty white undershirt and boxers he was wearing.  
"Nice to see you too, Cloud. What's up?" Zack answered with a faint smile. Cloud shrugged.  
"I was bored, so I thought I'd come visit."  
"Fair enough." Zack gestured for Cloud to come in.   
Cloud sprawled over the couch, and instantly started watching TV. Suddenly he say bolt upright, his round blue eyes wide.  
"Zack, look! It's Sephiroth!" he exclaimed. The news showed a clip of Sephiroth hurrying toward Shinra Headquarters on some errand. It appeared to be completely unrelated to the war with Wutai, but Cloud didn't seem to care.  
"Yeah, so what? The news is basically "the Sephiroth show". He's all they ever talk about", called Zack from the kitchen. He appeared moments later, a can in his hand.  
"But it's Sephiroth! He's the greatest warrior that ever lived. The whole reason I joined the army was so I could be like him", babbled Cloud.  
Zack rolled his eyes, and took a swig of soda. Cloud was a good kid, and Zack didn't mind hanging out with him, but Cloud's bubbly, over-enthusiastic attitude could be very irritating at times. And what was up with his weird fixation with Sephiroth, anyways? Zack figured that it was probably better he didn't know.  
The news paused for a commercial break, and Cloud slumped with slight disappointment.   
"So Cloud, you're from Nibelheim, right? You gonna go back there? I hear we all get some leave following the victory celebration", asked Zack, to get Cloud to focus on something other than the TV.  
Cloud looked uneasy all of a sudden. "Uh, well, yeah, prob'ly. I mean yeah, my family's there, and Tifa's there..." he trailed off.  
"Tifa, huh? 'zat your girlfriend?" chuckled Zack, wiggling his eyebrows.  
"Well no not really, but I'd like her to be", sighed Cloud.   
"Ah, I know how that is. I've got a girlfriend now, y'know. And I feel kinda bad saying this, but having a girlfriend isn't all it's cracked up to be. Maybe I just haven't found the right girl," he snorted derisively, "Obviously she's not the right girl, our relationship's totally falling apart."  
"Sorry to hear that," Cloud said softly. The commercial break ended and his attention began to wander toward the news program again. He looked up suddenly and asked, "Zack, you're not gonna quit Soldier, are you?"  
"No, I have intention of doing that. Why?"  
"Well because I heard that Galen and Cody are gonna. And I was kinda hoping you wouldn't, because you're cool and all," answered Cloud.  
Zack smiled in spite of himself at being judged "cool and all" by a private. "Well, I'm glad to hear you're staying, too." He didn't say anything about Cody and Galen.   
"Course I'm staying! I wanna get promoted, so maybe someday I'll be able to work alongside Sephiroth. Y'know, you really are lucky that way, Zack," said Cloud, the uneasiness leaving him as he returned to his usually bubbly self.  
Zack couldn't contain the question any longer. "Dude, what is with your obsession with Sephiroth?"  
Cloud shrugged. "I dunno. I guess...I guess I just thought that maybe if I was as strong and good-looking as him I'd be able to impress Tifa. I guess he's sorta like a role model to me, something to aspire to." He looked slightly crestfallen again.  
"That makes sense. I think every Soldier looks up to Sephiroth to some extent", replied Zack.   
Cloud watched the end of the news program, and credits began to roll across the screen. He stood and stretched, shaking chunks of wild blond hair out of his face.  
"It was nice seein' ya again, Zack. But I'm gonna head back to my place and let my parents know I'm gonna stop by and see 'em in a few days," announced the younger boy.  
"No problem Cloud, come by any time. Later."  
Zack closed the door behind Cloud, and turned off the television. He was glad to have met Cloud, since it looked like he would be Zack's only real friend in the army now.  
* * *  
A little, stringy-looking man eyed the white door in front of him, and curled his thin lips into a smile. A small bony hand lifted to rap on the door.   
"Sephiroth?" called his nasally, soft voice, "It's time. Come on now."  
The door opened, and Sephiroth stepped into the hallway, his head lowered so that his long bangs hid his face from view.  
"Yes, Hojo", he replied in scarcely more than a whisper.  
"Don't look so glum, Sephiroth. You know that what I do is for your own good", answered Hojo.  
Even as he was speaking, Sephiroth felt a slight prick on the side of his neck. Hojo had always managed to sedate him when he was least expecting it. This was something Hojo had learned early on; he knew Sephiroth disliked him, and tended to react violently to his presence. Sephiroth's state of drugged lethargy amused Hojo to no end. Sephiroth's glowing eyes would dim and half-close, and his head would loll to the side. He ceased to be the great Sephiroth, and became Hojo's experiment and plaything.  
Sephiroth felt the sedative beginning to affect him almost immediately. His feet began to feel heavier and heavier as he made the short walk across the hallway to Hojo's laboratory. His vision began to blur, and he stumbled several times. Hojo half-dragged Sephiroth into the laboratory, and with some difficulty removed his trench coat and arranged his heavy form on a metal table. Even though the sedatives were working, Hojo was paranoid and strapped Sephiroth's limbs to the table.   
Hojo's beady black eyes surveyed the room through thick glasses, making sure everything was ready. Four long needles stood on a nearby countertop, each attached to a long tube filled with glowing green liquid. Hojo's gaze wandered to Sephiroth himself, Hojo's most prized experiment. Ever since he became Shinra's top scientist, Hojo had dreamed of creating a perfect creature, with all the power and wisdom of the Ancients, or Cetra, as they were called scientifically. A being so strong that none would dare to oppose him- or Shinra.   
Lucky for Hojo, a team of archaeologists had discovered a strange being frozen in a geological stratum, and found the being to be about two thousand years old. Since the Ancients had inhabited the Planet at about that time, the mysterious being had to be one of that heavenly race. The Cetra had suddenly become extinct about two thousand years ago, and no one knew why. Ever since reading about the Cetra, Hojo had wanted to revive them for Shinra's own purposes. An army of Cetra warriors would be unstoppable.   
After extracting the creature from the geological stratum, Hojo began removing cells from it. He had dubbed the creature Jenovah, because it seemed almost godlike to him, offering him an opportunity he had waited for his entire life. The cells he removed would be mixed with pure Mako energy and injected into a human fetus, which would then be born with extraordinary strength and intelligence. He decided to call the unborn child the Sephiroth, which meant 'tree of life'. The tree of life represented the holy path to God, which Hojo figured he was walking by undertaking such a project.  
Hojo was pleased indeed with how Sephiroth had turned out. Sephiroth was the greatest Soldier to ever have lived. His eyes wandered over Sephiroth's prone form. Sephiroth's chest was heaving from the drug in his system, and his flawless, fair skin was stretched taut over an impressive musculature. Sephiroth was already powerful, he had been born exceptionally so, but Hojo believed that he could become greater. So he had continued the injections of Mako and cells even after Sephiroth's birth, and throughout his entire life.   
Hojo tucked a piece of stringy dark brown hair behind his ear and reached for one of the needles. He held the needle to the side of Sephiroth's neck and grinned down at him, reveling in the look of fear on Sephiroth's face as he eyed the four inch long needle. Beads of sweat began to gather on Sephiroth's forehead, and Hojo slid the needle into a vein in Sephiroth's neck. Sephiroth's face contorted in pain and he writhed in his bonds, almost crying out.   
"Now Sephiroth, don't be so upset about this. We've had this talk many times before, haven't we? This is the whole reason you were created, you know. For me to experiment on you like this, so I can make you into a creature almost godlike in nature. But don't worry, Sephiroth. You won't be the only one. I've made several others, though none have turned out quite as splendid as you. In fact, they were failures, and I turned them loose. You're not a failure, Sephiroth. You're my prized possession." As he spoke, Hojo inserted another needle into Sephiroth's neck, and the other two into his wrists. Tears of pain and humiliation began to gather in Sephiroth's eyes, sticking in long silver lashes.  
"You know, Sephiroth, you really should be grateful for all that I've done for you. If hadn't made you, you wouldn't even exist! And if you did, you'd be just another person crawling over this planet. But no. Your feeling that you are somehow different from everyone else is correct. You always have been and always will be. That's why you must not stoop to their level," Hojo went on.  
The sedative was beginning to wear off, and Sephiroth could fully understand what Hojo was saying to him.   
"Ah, you look a bit more awake now, so I'll guess I'll get to the heart of the matter. You'll notice how I said you must not interact with people, other than myself, of course. I can't let my experiment be ruined because of you bringing other people into this," Hojo sounded quite irritated.  
Sephiroth could feel the unnatural liquid surging through his bloodstream, making it feel as if every vein in his body were being cut apart.  
"I hear you're obligated to attend the victory celebration in four days. And at this celebration you must sit at a table with all the Admirals from your army- and the Grand Admiral," Hojo's lips immediately formed into a sneer. "The Grand Admiral. She was the one who saved from that shrapnel, right? It was good that she saved you- I can't have my experiments getting damaged. Too bad she lived, though. She appears to be somewhat distracting." Hojo's face started turning purple with anger, and he slapped Sephiroth across the face. "Have I taught you nothing, Sephiroth?! How long must I continue to drive this weakness from you?! I'll not allow my experiment to be interfered with in this way! If you can't control yourself, or if you're simply too stupid to understand what I've been telling you for the past twenty-five years, I'll simply remove the distraction if I notice it anymore. Maybe if Ms. Grand Admiral were a Cetra, I'd allow it. But guess what, she's not. She's nothing. And right now, she is ruining my experiment. Don't let this continue, Sephiroth. Speaking of which, I hear Grand Admiral's in the hospital now, isn't she? Probably not very capable of defending herself?" Hojo leaned his pasty features close to Sephiroth's face and glared at him, making sure that his unwilling test subject got the point.   
Sephiroth had fully regained his awareness, and could not remember a time he had hated Hojo more than at that moment. He tried to move, but found that thick nylon bonds restrained his limbs. His green eyes snapped fully open, and he began to strain against the bonds. Hojo watched for a moment, almost certain that Sephiroth would be unable to escape. But when he heard the sound of the nylon ripping, he lunged for another syringe full of sedative and jammed it into Sephiroth's neck. It was a huge dose, and Sephiroth went limp immediately. Hojo felt slightly relieved that Sephiroth was unconscious.   
Several hours later, Sephiroth awoke on the floor of his chamber, where he been unceremoniously deposited when Hojo had finished with him. Sephiroth's head pounded and there were stinging red spots on his wrists and the sides of his neck. The last thing he remembered was Hojo threatening Laeryn, which infuriated him to the point where he was nearly able to break free. Cautiously, Sephiroth stood up, leaning heavily on the wall, his head spinning. As much as he hated to admit it, Hojo was right. Laeryn was mostly helpless now, having to move slowly and carefully, lest her back tear open again. Sephiroth gritted his teeth. If Hojo stooped so low as to kill Laeryn while she was in the hospital, Sephiroth would see that he died a death more painful than any of his torturous "experiments".   
  
  
  
***Sister Ray's Notes***  
More Sephy-torturing. Don't worry, I'll make it up to him in the next few chapters ^_^ Hojo is such an evil little slime-ball! I know this sounds retarded but as I was writing him I was hating him more and more. I mean, he's bad enough in the game, but I made him REALLY nasty! I can hardly wait to kill him off. hehehe  



	5. 

Chapter 4  
Four Days Later  
Laeryn had just been released from the hospital that morning. Despite the doctors' reservations about letting her go so early, Laeryn had insisted. She couldn't stand the boredom of being bedridden for almost two weeks any longer. And President Shinra was having a victory ceremony tonight, and she was required to make an appearance. She didn't really feel like going, her back was sore and the pain medication was making her drowsy, but she knew better than to disobey the President.   
Through her window, Laeryn could see the Shinra building towering above her. Midgar was city that consisted of three levels; on the ground, there were the slums. Filthy and disreputable, the slums were literally the seamy underbelly of Midgar. Above the slums rested the plate, on which most of Midgar's reasonably wealthy people lived. The plate had been built after President Shinra's rise to power, when the slums had been deemed unfit for living. The people who lived there refused to move out, so Shinra gave in and built the new city above them. Still higher rose Shinra Headquarters itself. Suspended on its own small plate of sorts, the Shinra building soared sixty-nine stories tall, towering over Midgar like a sentinel. Smaller Shinra-related buildings surrounded it, and the apartments in which Laeryn and the other Soldiers resided were among them.   
One hour until she had be at Shinra Headquarters for the ceremony. Laeryn sighed into her pillow, wishing she didn't have to lie on her stomach all the time. It got uncomfortable after a while. She stood up slowly to dress. As a Grand Admiral, Laeryn's accommodations were considerably more spacious than those of the average Soldier. She actually had a separate room for her bed, and another for a kitchen. Her apartment was sparsely decorated and furnished, containing only what was necessary. Laeryn was a very practical person, and didn't bother adding additional decorations or furniture. She never noticed the bareness of the walls, since she seldom spent time there.   
Laeryn slid open her closet, where her uniform was hanging, clean and neatly pressed. She cautiously put it on, grimacing as the thick black fabric rubbed against the stitches in her back. She didn't bother looking at the mirror as she headed out.  
Laeryn was very surprised to see a black stretch limousine waiting for her in front of the apartment complex. She watched perplexed as a chauffeur opened the door for her and gestured for her to get it. Laeryn felt a bit suspicious, she had never received such glamorous treatment in her life, and her had began to stray toward her gun.   
A moment later she tensed in surprise as an all-too-familiar pair of glowing green eyes stared at her from the depths of the limousine. Wordlessly, Laeryn entered the car and sat on the seat opposite Sephiroth.  
"What exactly is going on here," she asked of him, noticing he wasn't wearing his armor.   
"The President insists that I ride in this vehicle. He tells me that it's for my personal security. That's a lie. He does it because he wants me to uphold an image of celebrity and importance in order to make his company look good. I could care less", replied Sephiroth. Indeed, he did not look as if he were enjoying the ride.  
"Shinra doesn't insist that I ride in here with you."  
"I thought you would like to. You may get out and walk if you like," Sephiroth responded nonchalantly.  
Laeryn gave him a lop-sided smile. "No thank you. I'd prefer your company."  
It was probably a trick of the light, but Laeryn could've sworn she saw Sephiroth blush.  
Further conversation was cut short when the limousine stopped.   
"Prepare to face the press. Ignore them. Walk straight ahead. Don't even look at them," Sephiroth sighed, almost to himself. He had grown very tired of the press; they had bothered him throughout his life. The only time he ever talked to them was when Hojo or President Shinra made him. They said it was to make Shinra look good. They had him appear in magazines and advertisements, everything from Calvin Klein underwear to Wheaties. Sephiroth hated every second of it.  
The chauffeur opened the door, and Laeryn was nearly blinded by the flash of cameras. Sephiroth didn't seem to notice. He appeared completely unruffled, even as the reporters surged against the barriers on each side of the red carpet and shouted random questions at him. Laeryn hung back a moment, hoping the chaos would subside. After a few moments Sephiroth turned and gave her a slightly impatient look. She hastily left the limousine and ran to catch up with him, staring at the red carpet.   
A doorman held the door for Sephiroth as he entered the building. He looked puzzled to see Laeryn there also. Sephiroth slammed the door behind them.  
"God, that is ridiculous. The tabloids are going to have a field day with this one," muttered Sephiroth. Laeryn wasn't sure what he meant by that.   
Laeryn had never been inside the Shinra Headquarters Reception Room. It was the largest room she had ever seen, the size of a football field. It was divided into several tiers raised by a few stairs, and it was littered with extravagantly carved fountains. Towards the rear of the room was a large flat floor, surrounded by people sitting in chairs and holding various instruments. Everything was carved from marble and plated with gold and crystal. The immense crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling looked like its worth equaled double the income of the entire population of Midgar.   
Once again, Sephiroth seemed barely aware of his surrounding, the opulence of the room making no impression on him. Wordlessly, he seated himself at the head of the table on the second-highest tier. Above him sat President Shinra and his son Rufus. Shinra's elite task force, known covertly as "the Turks", sat there as well, their dark blue suits and dark glasses making them appear totally featureless. Sephiroth grimaced as he spotted Hojo seated alongside Rufus, hunched over a glass of wine.   
Sephiroth quickly drew his attention away from Hojo. Laeryn was ascending the steps in front of him, slowly but confidently. She stood tall and straight, a picture of elegance and strength. The light from the chandelier reflected off her ebony hair, revealing that it had a slightly blue undertone to it. The undertone perfectly complimented her ice blue eyes. Her pale skin stood out vividly against the deep black of her uniform and...  
"Sephiroth?"   
He started slightly when Laeryn said his name. She had a questioning look on her face.  
"Hmm? Oh, nothing," he replied hastily, feeling rather embarrassed that she noticed him staring. Once again, Sephiroth felt his long-cold emotions begin to burn again, like coals being fanned into open flame.   
Laeryn shrugged in response, trying to look nonchalant, although the fact that Sephiroth had been staring at her excited her. She cautiously glanced up at him, and found that he was looking at her again. This time, he didn't lower his eyes, and allowed them to meet hers. Laeryn had planned on saying something to him, but forgot about it when she drowned in glittering green pools.  
"General Sephiroth, Grand Admiral Chase. Good evening."  
Zack's voice caused them both to snap out of the reverie.   
"Good evening, Admiral Page," answered Laeryn, noticing the girl whose hand he was holding, obviously his girlfriend. The girl seemed oblivious to Zack's hand on hers, and she stared blatantly at Sephiroth.  
"I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Aeris Gainsborough," Zack announced in an almost-but-not-quite proud tone of voice.  
"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Ms. Gainsborough," Sephiroth said formally. Laeryn nodded.  
"Aeris, meet General Sephiroth and Grand Admiral Laeryn Chase."  
"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance as well, General Sephiroth," giggled Aeris.   
Laeryn studied Aeris for a moment. Aeris was a pretty girl, in a very standard sense of the word. Wavy auburn hair hung braided down her back, and few pieces were left loose, framing her lightly freckled face. She had perhaps the largest and roundest eyes Laeryn had ever seen, and, like Sephiroth's they were green. A different shade than his, though, darker and softer, a gentle forest green as opposed to intense sea green. She had curves at her hips and chest, in spite of her waif-like build. Her limbs looked thin and fragile, like a bird's.   
Zack and Aeris seated themselves across from Sephiroth and Laeryn as President Shinra rose and began his speech.  
"Ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank you all for attending this reception, in honor of the triumphant victory of Shinra over Wutai. As always, our Soldiers fought bravely and justly, proving their loyalty and fidelity to both General Sephiroth and myself. Each Soldier deserved to be honored because of this great victory."  
President Shinra blathered on and on. His gruff voice filled the mighty reception hall, amplified by a microphone. Laeryn tuned out Shinra after a few minutes. She hated listening to speeches. The only one she ever paid attention to was Sephiroth's acceptance speech when he was promoted four years ago.   
Sephiroth was paying rapt attention, more out of obligation than any interest in what Shinra was saying. Hojo continued watching him like a hawk, his little black eyes occasionally wandering to observe Laeryn for a while. Laeryn wished he'd focus his attention elsewhere; his constant gaze made her uneasy.   
Zack wasn't listening, either. He was building little structures out of his silverware, napkin, and a salt shaker. Aeris wound strands of her hair around her hand as she looked alternately from her fingernails to Sephiroth. Most of the other officers at their table appeared uninterested in the speech.   
After what seemed like an eternity, the speech finally ended, and everyone blindly applauded. Laeryn rolled her eyes. Waiters began to bustle around offering expensive hors d'oeuvres and fine wines. The orchestra down below began to play.  
"I wish the President would hire a speech writer," she griped.  
Sephiroth smiled slightly at her. "I wish the President would cease to exist."  
Laeryn was surprised to hear something so mutinous come from Sephiroth, who always appeared so loyal and devoted to his work.   
Sephiroth noticed her surprised look. "You didn't think I said things like that, did you?" He smiled again, bitterly. "Then I guess you've never heard me talking about Hojo." He said Hojo's name with disgust, as if it were an unimaginably foul word.   
"Why do you hate him so much?" Laeryn hadn't intended to pry, but her curiosity got the better of her.   
Before Sephiroth could answer, Aeris spoke up.  
"So, General Sephiroth, what was it like fighting to war?" she asked, leaning forward onto the table.   
Sephiroth sighed wearily. She sounded just like one of the reporters he tried so hard to avoid.  
"It was gruesome. Spurting blood, severed limbs, troops screaming and burning to death. When rockets would land in the middle of the lines, all chunks of people would fly into the air and splatter all around. Some of our Soldiers had materia, and they would cast bolt. I can still smell the burning flesh. Good thing I had my barrier materia or..."  
"Ewww! Gross!" Aeris interrupted, looking slightly green.  
"Don't ask questions unless you're sure you want to hear the answer," Sephiroth shrugged. People would always ask him what it was like in the middle of a battle. But they never wanted to hear the answer.  
Laeryn stifled a giggle and Aeris's reaction. She must have noticed, because she sent a dirty look in Laeryn's direction.   
Aeris sat back in her chair, and pondered over something else to ask Sephiroth about. Aeris was thrilled at meeting Sephiroth in person. She felt like a girl groupie finally getting to meet her favorite boy band, but contained her giddiness. She knew it wouldn't look good if she started spouting on about how she had cut out every single magazine and newspaper article that so much as mentioned his name, and had an entire wall of her room plastered with pictures of him. Sephiroth was much better looking in person anyway. Apparently, he wasn't very photogenic. Or didn't like having his picture taken, and always tried to look away.   
But who was this other girl sitting next to Sephiroth? The two of them seemed very friendly, could it be possible....no, it would be all over the newspaper if Sephiroth had a girlfriend. And Aeris didn't find this other girl to very pretty at all. Her features were too angular, there was too much contrast between her black hair and white skin, her chest was too small, and her hands were rough. And she had some of the most unsettling eyes that Aeris had ever seen. They reminded Aeris of dry ice. Freezing cold, but burning at the same time. This other girl was probably the only one who could give Sephiroth a run for his money in a staring contest.  
Laeryn noticed that Aeris was giving her a look, and shot a hard glare back in return. Aeris averted her eyes.   
"Zack?" she said, pawing at his arm.  
"Yes, Aeris?"  
"Will you dance with me, please?" she asked, flickering her impossibly long eyelashes.  
"I suppose," he responded unenthusiastically. Aeris had been getting on his nerves quite a lot lately.  
"Tch! I was just asking. You don't have to if you don't want to," Aeris pouted, "Maybe you would like to dance with me, General Sephiroth?  
"No."  
Thoroughly ruffled, Aeris pranced off to find someone else to dance with.   
Laeryn burst out laughing.  
"Seriously now, Zack. You're a cool kid and everything, but your taste in women leaves much to be desired," she chuckled.  
Sephiroth didn't say anything. He was growing increasingly nervous. Every time he looked up at Hojo, the creepy Director of Science was closer to their table. Sephiroth never saw him move, he just appeared in a new place every few minutes. Hojo reached into his pocket periodically, as if to make sure its contents were still in place. Now he was close enough that Sephiroth was able to see his face. Hojo's expression was strange; his face was darkened with displeasure, but the smirk on his face argued otherwise. His black eyes held a sadistic gleam. Sephiroth remembered what Hojo had said to him a few days ago, during the tests, about a certain "distraction", and how it needed to be removed. Sephiroth looked over at Laeryn, who was still teasing Zack about his girlfriend. She was laughing, and the sound of it was resonant and melodious, infectious. Sephiroth couldn't help but smile again. He looked up. Hojo was closer. Sephiroth rose and left the table as quietly as possible.  
Laeryn noticed his departure.  
"Sephiroth?" she called after him. He didn't turn around. Laeryn rose quickly and walked after him, grimacing as the sudden movement sent a twinge through her back.  
* * *   
Zack watched Laeryn get up and run after Sephiroth. Lucky Sephiroth, he thought casually. Zack was more focused on the wine than the other people at the table. Since Zack was only sixteen, it wasn't often he had access to wine. He spotted Cloud sitting on the tier below and walked over to him, goblet of Chardonnay in hand. He noticed Aeris was there too, talking to Cloud, and very interested in whatever it was he was saying to her.   
"Hey Zack! How's it goin'?" Cloud called cheerfully.  
"All right, I guess. Sephiroth and Laeryn went somewhere, and I don't know anyone else at that table, so it was kinda boring actually," Zack replied, sounding much less enthusiastic than Cloud.   
"Sephiroth and Laeryn, huh? Who didn't see that one coming," Cloud giggled, "Oh and Zack, this is Aeris Gainsborough." He said Aeris's name with obvious awe and adoration. She gave Zack a bittersweet smile before returning her attention to Cloud.  
"Um yeah, we kinda know each other," Zack said sarcastically, slightly miffed at Cloud's interest in Aeris. Zack really didn't have much feeling for Aeris anymore, and it was clear from her sudden fascination with Cloud that she felt similarly. Even so, they hadn't broken up just yet, so technically she was still his girlfriend.   
Cloud picked up Zack's hint and immediately backed away from Aeris. "Holy crap, dude. I'm so sorry..." Cloud apologized quickly.   
"Don't even worry about. Aeris, can I talk to you for a sec?"   
Aeris strolled off into a corner, her pink heels clacking on the marble floor.   
"Aeris, if you don't want to be with me anymore could you please at least have the decency to break up with me before you run off and start hitting on my friends!" fumed Zack.  
Aeris tossed her braid over her shoulder. "Tch! Don't even pretend you care that much, Zack. What did you expect when you refused to call me more than once a week? Too distracted by all the Soldier chicks?" she growled.   
"Aeris! I'm sorry that I happen to have a life! Maybe you should look into getting one as well," Zack exclaimed. He took a moment to calm down before continuing. "Look. I know we're both ready to end this relationship, but I was kinda hoping we could end it on a good note. So I'm sorry I just snapped at you."  
Aeris still looked peeved, but replied, "All right. I'm sorry too. Now let's just go our separate ways, okay?"  
"Fine. But I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't immediately go after my friends."  
"Sor-ry! I didn't know he was your friend. I thought you wanted this to end peacefully?"  
"I do, I do. Sorry. See ya later."  
"Bye-bye."  
Zack couldn't help but feel resentful towards Aeris, but he also felt as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.   
* * *  
Sephiroth noticed Laeryn was following him, and quickened his pace. He could hear her calling after him, sounding puzzled and ever so slightly hurt that he was suddenly ignoring her. Sephiroth wished he could explain to her, tell her what Hojo had said about wanting to kill her because of the threat she posed to his "experiment". But that would only endanger her more.   
Laeryn saw Sephiroth duck into the men's bathroom. Unperturbed, she barged in after him. Sephiroth and several other men looked at her with astonished expressions on their faces.  
"Sephiroth! What's wrong," she said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Sephiroth was amazed at how perceptive she was to his emotions. He glanced around, but there was no escape. Laeryn had him cornered.   
Sephiroth's eyes glimmered with anxiety, sadness and regret. He had such expressive eyes; it was easy for her to see what he was feeling, even when he tried to hide it.   
"I...Laeryn...I'm sorry...just please stay away from me...it's for your own good...I wish..." he trailed off, one of his hands fisting in his bangs. His eyes now looked forlorn, devoid of hope.  
Laeryn ignored his request and moved closer to him.   
"Don't be afraid," she whispered, "I'll listen. I won't hurt you."  
Sephiroth lowered his head, and sighed shakily. He was trembling. She couldn't tell if was from fear or emotion. Laeryn felt her own hands begin to shake as she reached out her arms. She moved slowly, as if she were approaching a frightened wild animal. Sephiroth tensed visibly when she placed her hands on his shoulders, and began to struggle slightly when her arms slid around his neck. A moment later he relaxed completely, as if the burden of his conflicting emotions had suddenly exhausted him. His head rested heavily on her shoulder. Laeryn slid one of her hands to the side, twining her fingers in his hair. It was so soft...   
Laeryn's cheeks colored a bit when she realized that they were still standing in the men's restroom. People were looking at them oddly.  
"Come outside with me," she whispered.  
Sephiroth nodded and pulled away from her. He left the bathroom, and made his way toward the main doors of the reception room.  
"Why are we going here?" Laeryn asked as they headed into the parking lot.   
"Hojo will be looking for us if we go into the gardens out back," he replied.   
The parking lot was easily as large as the reception room itself. Most of the guests arrived by train or limousine, so it wasn't very full. Every few rows the lot was cut by medians, on which trees and grass and rocks had been arranged. Laeryn sat down on one such median, her back against a rock, facing away from the building. Sephiroth sat a few feet away from her.   
"Why would Hojo be looking for us?" asked Laeryn.  
"He wants to kill you," Sephiroth said quickly and quietly.  
Laeryn gave him a questioning look.  
Sephiroth began to fidget, his long slender fingers winding around each other  
"Hojo said he would kill you if I...continued to...associate...with you," he continued softly, reaching up to cover half his face with one of his hands.   
"What would the Director of Science have to gain from killing me? I've never even met him before," Laeryn inquired.  
"He believes you are ruining his experiment."  
"I've never seen any of his experiments. How could I be ruining them," she sighed apologetically, "I'm sorry, Sephiroth. I don't mean to be so demanding of you. But none of this seems to make sense to me."  
"You've seen his most prized experiment," Sephiroth replied. His voice dropped to a fearful whisper, as if he were talking about a nightmare he had just awakened from. Laeryn remained silent, encouraging him to continue. He took a deep breath and lowered his head. When he began to speak, Laeryn could barely hear him.  
"I am...his most prized experiment."  
Laeryn still didn't understand. How could another human being be someone's experiment?  
"He created me...he made me what I am...he made me a monster..." Sephiroth's voice sounded very strained.  
"Sephiroth. How...was he able to...? And why..." she asked softly. Sephiroth looked up at the night sky, the stars mostly drowned out by the lights in the parking lot. His fair skin glowed softly in the artificial light. Laeryn admired his profile, long silver eyelashes, gently curved nose, sculpted chin. She noticed a movement on his cheek, and looked there, and saw a teardrop, the same shimmering silver color as his hair, tracing a slow path down the side of his face.   
Laeryn's strong heart broke at the sight of it, and she found herself fighting down tears of her own. Without hesitation, Laeryn closed the gap between them and gathered Sephiroth in her arms.   
That sudden gesture of affection was too much for Sephiroth, and he sobbed unabashedly. He was unable to stop crying, but too ashamed to look up at Laeryn.  
Sephiroth had never told anyone of his past. He had always been a strange, cold enigma to everyone except Hojo and President Shinra. Even himself. He wondered why he had been assigned to the miserable fate of being Hojo's lab rat, and came to the same conclusion he had always reached during his childhood; that there was something so wrong with himself that no one else wanted to take care of him. Hojo confirmed this; he told Sephiroth on countless occasions that he was different from everyone else, that he didn't belong in society, and that his only purposes in life were to kill other people and be Hojo's toy. Whenever Sephiroth asked about his parents, all Hojo would say was "Jenovah". Since that sounded like a woman's name, Sephiroth assumed it was the name of his mother. Which led him to wonder what it would be like to have a mother, to have someone to hold him, and comfort him when he cried. And so he would continue to cry, crying out for a mother, for a father, a sibling, a lover, someone, anyone, to care. And no one did.   
Until now. Sephiroth felt Laeryn's strong sinewy arms around him and breathed in the clean detergent smell of her uniform. He felt comforted all of a sudden, and slowly raised his face to look at hers. Her eyes looked different than usual, fiery, and filled with tenderness and passion.   
Sephiroth pulled Laeryn closer to him, some long-dormant protective instinct rising to the surface as he remembered that Hojo was searching for her. His green eyes were alight with the power of emotions long denied, and his hair flowed around him like a silver halo. He began to speak again, this time levelly and in control, almost as it he were reading some sad story as opposed to telling her about his childhood.  
"Hojo created me by mixing my DNA with that of the Cetra. I grew up in his laboratory, learned to walk and speak there. And Hojo would observe and record every moment of my physical and mental development. He enlisted me in Soldier when I was eight years old."  
"What about your family?"  
"I have no family."  
"But surely you were born, Sephiroth."  
"It doesn't matter if I was born. If I was, my parents hated me and gave me up to Hojo right after birth. When I asked him about my parents, all he would say was 'Jenovah'".  
"Is that your mother?"  
Sephiroth didn't answer. "What did I do, or what's wrong with me, to deserve such a fate as this?" he asked sadly of nothing in particular.  
"You're not a prisoner of fate. You control your own destiny, like everyone else. No one owns you. You're human, Sephiroth," Laeryn said firmly.  
Sephiroth was nearly inconsolable. "I'm not...my DNA...it's not all human."  
"There is more to a person than their DNA. Listen to me. You are your own person, Sephiroth. And there is nothing wrong with you. Nothing at all..." Laeryn stopped talking before she said something embarrassing.   
Sephiroth began to protest, but she raised her finger to his lips. "Enough. I won't hear it."  
Laeryn's hand moved from his lips to the side of his face. She was surprised that someone as strong and powerful as Sephiroth could be so fragile and soft. Somehow, she had imagined his skin feeling very rough, almost leathery. But it was as silky and innocent as that of a small child. Her hand began to move, tracing the hard curves of his jaw-line and neck. She felt him trembling slightly. Laeryn looked him in the eye, hoping she wouldn't frighten him away. But he held her gaze, and she rapidly sank into twin pools of luminous Mako green. Her other hand wound its way into Sephiroth's hair as she felt the warmth of skin travel into her hand and spread through the rest of her.   
Sephiroth leaned his head into her hand, marveling at how hands as rough as hers could bring such a gentle touch. He watched, spellbound, as she moved her face closer, inch by inch, until she pressed her lips against his in a firm but chaste kiss. He squirmed slightly, unaccustomed to such close contact. Laeryn pulled back and rested her head on his chest.  
"We should go back inside," she whispered.   
Sephiroth nodded, his hair falling on either side of her face like a curtain. He stood up and pulled Laeryn to her feet after him. He involuntarily gripped the hilt of the Masamune, paranoid that Hojo would attack Laeryn at any moment. His sudden need to protect her struck him as odd; after spending four years in the army with her, he knew that she was perfectly capable of defending herself. In fact, she had proven to be the only person who could rival his martial abilities.   
When Laeryn and Sephiroth re-entered the reception room, Hojo was nowhere to be seen. Zack was off in a corner sulking. Laeryn went over to him.  
"Zack, what's up?" she said.  
"I just broke up with Aeris, and she was being a real bitch about it," he replied, "And she even agreed that we should break up! And then she got all pissed!"  
"Where is she now?" inquired Laeryn.  
"Probably off flirting with some guy," Zack answered scornfully.  
Laeryn sighed. She really didn't know what to say to Zack. "I'm sorry about that whole thing. I hope you can work something out with her so that at least you don't hate each other any more."  
He smiled at her. "Thanks, Laeryn. And on a slightly happier note, congratulations. Just about every girl on the Planet would kill to be in your shoes."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"You and Sephiroth...you know..."  
"I think you've misinterpreted some things, Zack." Laeryn really didn't want anyone else to know about her feelings for Sephiroth.   
"Later. Hope things work out for ya," she said, and walked back to Sephiroth.   
"He's not feeling too great because him and Aeris just broke up," Laeryn said to him.  
"Just as well. That girl was about as intelligent as a rock. And probably about as strong as a dead twig," Sephiroth sniffed.  
Laeryn couldn't help but laugh at his unflattering description of Aeris. He smiled for a moment, and then grew serious.   
"Laeryn, I think you should leave," he said flatly, "Hojo is crawling around here looking for you, and it will only be a matter of time before he finds you."  
"So let him come to me!" Laeryn growled, pawing her gun, "I'll kill him. He deserves to die, because of what he did to you..."  
Sephiroth held out his hands in a placating gesture. "I know Hojo. He won't just charge in and fight you; he's too much of a coward for that. He'll strike when you're least expecting it; he'll poison your food and water, put a needle on the toilet or in the sink, where it would be certain to pierce you, or have someone shoot at you from a distance, as you're walking along the street. No doubt he's got some plan right now. You're not safe here, and I will not allow you stay."  
Before Laeryn could say another word, Sephiroth grabbed her wrist and began to walk her to the door.   
"Fine, fine! I guess I should be used to taking orders from you, anyways," Laeryn conceded. He let go of her wrist.  
As they left, Sephiroth signaled to one of the chauffeurs.  
"You. Come with me, now. We're leaving."  
The chauffeur saw who was speaking to him, and practically ran to open the door, eyes wide with awe and fear. The chauffeur then rushed to one of the limousines and opened the door. Sephiroth and Laeryn climbed in.  
"Drive to the Shinra Military Apartment Complex, building number 07894. Now," commanded Sephiroth. The car lit out of the parking lot.   
Sephiroth was tempted to reach out and pull Laeryn closer to him, but he was too shy. Now that he had experienced what it was like to be cared for by someone, he couldn't get enough of it. The feel of her callused hand touching his face was the most wonderful thing he had ever experienced, and wanted to feel it at least once more.   
The limousine screeched to a halt in front of the apartment building. As Laeryn opened the door, she looked over at Sephiroth. His eyes were wide and pleading, like a child about to ask permission for sweets.   
The look had the desired affect. Laeryn crawled over to him and kissed him again, a bit more intensely than before.   
"Goodnight, Sephiroth. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon for North Corel, so I'll try to visit you before I leave," she whispered. Sephiroth released her and watched her walk enter the apartment building. As the limousine drove toward the Shinra building, Sephiroth felt something entirely new to him, a good feeling, almost like a high of some sort. It took him a few moments before he realized that he was feeling happiness.  
  
  
***Sister Ray's Notes***  
Told ya I'd make it up to Sephy! He gets to be happy, even if for only a little while. Oh, and in case you didn't notice, I HATE Aeris. I can't stand her. She's worthless. I'm sure a lot of Aeris fans were a bit offended by my portrayal of her as a total airhead, but hey, it's my opinion. You'll get over it.  
  
  
  



	6. 

Chapter 5  
North Corel  
  
"God, what a dump. Just as well we're burning this place to the ground. Who'd want to live here?" Reno exclaimed as he looked down on North Corel. He, Rude, and twenty young, low-rank Soldiers were perched on a granite outcropping overlooking the village. The buildings looked more dilapidated than ever, since no one had the money to undertake any real repairs. Some rusty old rail tracks ran from the town off into the mountains, no doubt used for transporting coal. Most of the people were in their houses, hiding from the scorching midday heat. Only a few bold kids were outside, frolicking in the dust.   
Rude took the scene in as well, though he didn't comment on it. He adjusted his black sunglasses and cleared his throat. The young Soldiers, who had been chatting excitedly among themselves, immediately grew silent and turned to look at him.   
"Spread out and surround the town. Do not form groups or pairs. Stay in the rock outcroppings around the town. Do not be seen or heard. Once you have a reached a suitable position, remain still and wait. As soon as I fire the first shot, you will fire as well. Do not fire prior to this time. Do you understand," Rude said.   
The Soldiers all nodded vigorously.  
"Then go. Quickly," Rude finished.   
Twenty blue-clad figures clambered over the boulders, each settling in a secure nook where they had a clear view of the village, but were also relatively shaded from the sun. Each was armed with an automatic crossbow, loaded with six incendiary bolts. As soon as the trigger was pulled, the bolts would fly off in rapid succession, exploding wherever they struck. Each Soldier held his or her crossbow tightly, anxiously waiting for the signal.  
* * *  
Dyne and Barret stood at the airport in Gold Saucer, sighing with frustration as the eyed the list of air fares. As two of North Corel's most prominent citizens, they wanted to travel to Midgar and personally discuss the matter of the Mako reactor with a Shinra representative. Even though Dyne and Barret both saw the reactor as a good idea, few others did. But Dyne and Barret only wanted what was best for North Corel, and fully backed the beliefs of the majority. So they had prepared a presentation and a small speech for whatever Shinra person they might talk to, and hoped to bargain with them about choosing another location for the reactor. But getting to Midgar was much more expensive than either of them had anticipated. Already the two of them had drained their own savings, and even taken loans from several other townspeople who supported their cause, but it still wasn't enough for two third-class plane tickets to Midgar. After a few more minutes of deliberation, the two decided to head back to North Corel and try to scrounge up some more funding.   
* * *  
Laeryn rested her chin on her hand as she stared out the small thick window of the airplane. The engines roared as it accelerated for take-off. Laeryn blankly watched the yellow lines on the runway dart past as the plane picked up more speed. She felt very relaxed, as if she felt content with her lot in life for the first time. As always, she was excited about seeing her parents again. She had always been close to them, and her only regret about joining the army was that she couldn't see them as much. Her mother still worried over her incessantly, asking Laeryn if she combed her hair, if she ate right, if she had a boyfriend, how the situation with Wutai was progressing... on and on. Laeryn smiled and happily answered all her questions. Her mother's curiosity about her life had bothered her when she was little, but now she loved to sit down and have long talks with her mother. Her father would laugh and joke with her, poking his head in the room to ask if Laeryn and her mother were through with their "girl talk" yet. He and Laeryn would go outside, and she would show off to him her sword katas and handgun marksmanship. He too asked numerous questions, about her weapons, battles she'd fought, strategies she liked to use. He knew she loved to talk about those sorts of things. The thrill of seeing her family was amplified by the fact that her nineteenth birthday was only a few days away and very rarely was she able to celebrate her birthday with her parents.  
As the landscape below reduced itself to blotches of color, Laeryn grew more and more excited. She wanted to see her mother's reaction when she told her about Sephiroth. Sephiroth wasn't Laeryn's boyfriend, but her mother just loved to hear about anything of that sort. She often joked that Laeryn needed to find a nice boyfriend, or she would grow up to be a grumpy old maid. Laeryn never had much interest in dating; the only person she'd ever had those types of feelings for was Sephiroth.   
And she missed Sephiroth already. Laeryn wished she could have at least seen him before she left, but by the time she left to catch her 11:15 flight, Sephiroth had departed hours earlier to investigate a report of a terrorist group somewhere in the slums of Midgar. Laeryn wondered what he thought of her since their encounter during the victory celebration. He seemed to at least care about her to some extent. She remembered the look of solemn concern on his face as he warned about Hojo and the way he hurried her from the building as soon as he felt she was threatened. Laeryn knew she could protect herself, but somehow it felt very good to have someone else watching out for her as well.   
Nor had Sephiroth objected when she gave him a hug, and then a kiss. He seemed awkward, but Laeryn knew no one else had ever expressed such affection for him. She was still surprised at how soft he had been, contrasting almost ridiculously with his inhuman strength and skill on the battlefield. That was part of what Laeryn found so fascinating about him; two seemingly unrelated sides of his personality were woven seamlessly together. The strong, ruthless part of him that allowed him to slaughter people in battle also manifested itself as a fierce protective streak. His calculating intelligence was not used solely for planning strategy, but also to contemplate his own fate and future. Behind the unnerving Mako glow and wary spark in his eyes was the soft light of innocence and a glimmer of loneliness and curiosity. His long, slender hands, which had been used to kill so many people, were also capable of gentle touch. Sephiroth was definitely the most interesting person Laeryn had ever met. She always wanted to know more about him. She always wanted to spend time with him. She was in love with him.   
This realization didn't surprise Laeryn as much as thought it would. But then again, it was more of a confession of feelings long denied.  
* * *  
Rude continued to scrutinize North Corel. He looked over at Reno, who was raising him crossbow and taking aim at one of the tiny splintered houses.   
Reno raised one of his red eyebrows at Rude. "Shall we?"  
Always the businesslike one, Rude didn't respond but raised his crossbow and pulled the trigger, sending a stream of six bolts flying. Crossbows were silent weapons, and no one in the village below had any idea of the impending attack. As soon as Rude unleashed his first salvo, the Soldiers immediately followed suit. The little buildings in North Corel stood no chance as the crossbow bolts exploded on contact, sending horrifically bright flames licking across the sun-dried boards. People ran from their suddenly burning houses in bewilderment, then looking up in fear as they saw Soldiers charging down the mountain side, automatic rifles in hand.  
* * *  
Dyne and Barret walked silently, a bit depressed by the fact that their plan had been foiled. They made walked slowly on the abandoned rail tracks that connected the ropeway to North Corel. As they neared a small bridge across a deep chasm, Barret stopped and cocked his head, unfamiliar sounds reaching his ears.  
"Yo. Ya hear that?" he said quietly.  
"Yeah...what the hell is that?" said Dyne.  
"Dunno, but it sounds like it's comin' from da town. Let's go!"   
They crossed the bridge and stood atop and small but steep hill, where they had a clear view of North Corel. The sight that greeted them left both men in a state of speechless shock. North Corel had been completely engulfed in flames. The smoke of burning wood and flesh burned their eyes and nostrils.   
"What..." Dyne was finally able to whisper. The continued to watch in horrified fascination as a score of blue-clad figures emerged from the fires, gunning down anyone who tried to escape.   
"That's the sound we heard...the gunfire...oh god..." Dyne gasped, tears forming in his eyes.  
"Marlene!!!" Barret screamed desperately. He leapt up and began barreling down the steep hillside.   
"Barret! Wait!" Dyne called after him, "Don't let them see you!"  
But it was too late. Dyne heard the gunfire again, only this time it was much closer. Barret once again appeared on the hilltop, a group of the blue attackers in hot pursuit.  
"Run Dyne! Get yo ass outta here!" Barret exclaimed.  
The two ran until they reached the bridge they had crossed earlier. Underneath it was a small ledge that ran along the edge of the cliff. Barret and Dyne jumped off the bridge and landed precariously on the narrow ledge. They quickly scampered under the bridge to hide.   
Rude stopped suddenly when he was halfway across the bridge. The four Soldiers behind him almost barreled into him. Rude gave them a glare.  
"Now. Where could they have gone? As I recall, the President specifically ordered that there be no survivors. So I suggest you find those two," Rude said dangerously.  
Dyne and Barret nervously listened to the footsteps and conversation going on directly above them.  
"It's Shinra...they're from Shinra," Dyne exclaimed quietly.  
"Those son o' bitches! The hell they think they can accomplish by killin' innocent people!" snarled Barret.  
Dyne clapped a hand across his short-tempered friend's mouth. "Shhh! They'll hear you!"  
But they knew they had already been found. The conversation and footsteps above had stopped. They heard an awkward thumping sound behind them and turned to see one of the Soldiers stumbling to his feet.  
Dyne and Barret turned to run. As soon as they emerged from beneath the bridge, the others opened fire on them.  
"Shit! It was a trap!" Barret yelled as they fled, bullets flinging up bits of rock and dirt close behind them.   
Rude scowled with displeasure at the Soldiers.   
"Stop, you fools! You could shoot all day and never hit them with aim like that. Someone give me a gun," he snapped.  
One of the Soldiers complied and passed over her gun. Rude fired a single shot.  
Dyne cried out as the bullet struck the back of his leg. He stumbled sideways, dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. Barret caught him by the arm just as he slipped over.  
"Barret...just go! Go help the people of North Corel!" Dyne said, gritting his teeth in pain.  
Barret ignored him. "Hold on, Dyne. Let me git my other hand down an' I'll pull ya up."  
Bullets began to clatter off the rocks all around them as Barret frantically reached for Dyne's other hand. Finally one of the bullets found its mark, shattering Barret's right forearm and lodging in Dyne's left wrist. Silently, Dyne fell.   
"NOO! Dyne!" Barret screamed helplessly as he watched his best friend plummet downward. Bullets still flew around him. There was no cover anywhere around him, so Barret cried out and slumped to the ground as if he had been shot.   
Rude held up his hand. The Soldiers stopped shooting.  
"Good, he's dead. The construction of the reactor should no longer be an issue. We will return to Midgar," he said. Reno and the rest of the Soldiers came jogging into view a few moments later.  
"That was a nice little day trip, eh Rude? No survivors in the village," he reported jauntily.  
"Good. Let's head back."  
The Soldiers and Turks walked back to the ropeway in silence.  
* * *   
After he was sure the last Soldier was gone from sight, Barret rose shakily, clutching his right arm. The wound was bleeding profusely, and Barret could see bits of shattered bone and torn muscle. Most likely he would never be able to use his right arm again. Barret gritted his teeth and fought back bitter tears as he made his way back to the ruins of North Corel. Why? he thought why they gotta make us suffer like this? We was gonna bargain with 'em! And they wouldn't lissen. They decided to kill everyone instead, women, children, no honor, no mercy. "I HATE THE GOD DAMN SHINRA!" Barret screamed at the top of his lungs.  
* * *  
Laeryn stepped off the plane and into Gold Saucer, eagerly looking around for her parents. They were always waiting for her at the terminal, but she didn't see them anywhere. A tiny shard of unease poked at Laeryn's mind, but she dismissed it. Her parents were probably out on an errand. Oh well, she thought, I'll just show up at home and surprise them. Laeryn boarded the ropeway and watched as the shiny mass of Gold Saucer disappeared and the rocky Corel mountains rose up to greet her. After the ropeway stopped, she began to practically run toward North Corel. As she grew closer, she stopped for a moment and sniffed the air. Something was burning somewhere nearby. Wood was definitely burning, so maybe it was a forest fire. But she smelled something else burning as well. A smell that, prior to that moment, she had only encountered on the battlefield. Laeryn was immediately on guard. Something was very wrong. There was no reason why a forest fire would smell like burning flesh. She proceeded cautiously, an irrational fear building within her. A few minutes later she saw a figure struggling to negotiate the uneven terrain around the village. Laeryn ran over, and recognized him immediately.  
"Barret!" she called out, "What's going on?"  
Barret slumped against a rock, tears running down his coarse dark face.   
"Dey came in, killed everyone, burn' da town....god Laeryn, I'm so sorry...." His voice trailed off into sobs.  
Laeryn blinked her eyes and raised an eyebrow. No, that couldn't be right. Her hometown couldn't possibly be burned to the ground, and there was no way that her parents could be dead. She walked past Barret to look for herself.  
"Laeryn, no! Please don't look..." he whispered. She stopped momentarily, noticing his injury for the first time. She knelt beside him, examining the shattered remains of his forearm.   
"We need to get this wound cleaned and properly bandaged. How did you get this?" she said.  
"I told you...dey shot everyone...includin' me...and Dyne's..." he began gritting his teeth.  
No. Laeryn was still telling herself, no no no no. She reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of water, which she poured over Barret's arm.   
"I wish I had something to set and bind and with, so it could heal properly. I'm sure I can find some bandages at home," she said, "Stay there a moment, Barret. I'll be right back."  
Laeryn came over the top of the hill. She had a full view of North Corel. Little fires still crackled on the remains of some structures, but most had been reduced to dimly glowing piles of ash. Grey smoke trailed upward, creating a haze. Twisted forms lay amid the ruins.   
Laeryn hoped this was a nightmare. That she had fallen asleep on the plane, and at any moment she would be awakened by the plane touching down at Gold Saucer. Her parents would be waiting for her there.  
Almost in a trance-like state, Laeryn walked toward the gruesome scene before her. The burning smell was almost unbearable. It made her eyes water and her nose sting. Her head listed absently to one side as she approached the place where her house had once stood. She pulled apart the still-smoldering remains of the door, oblivious to the heat.   
"Mom? Dad? I'm home," she said, blankly staring ahead. Her parents were there, lying on the floor. They had been so terribly burned they were barely recognizable.   
The site and smell of her parents' corpses made Laeryn reel back suddenly, bile rising in her throat.   
"Oh god... no...." she gasped, choking.   
"No...NO....NO!" she screamed, her voice rising to a furious crescendo until it finally broke and she collapsed limply to ground, gasping for air between sobs. She raised her fist and slammed it into one of the charred walls, which disintegrated into a puff of ash and embers.   
"Why....who did this...WHY?" she said, screaming again. The bile that rose in her throat finally overflowed and spilled out of her mouth. She choked again, and lay in the ashes sobbing.   
Barret had made his way into the town. He had Laeryn screaming, and knew she could no longer deny what had happen. Two days from now it's her nineteenth birthday...what a damn shitty birthday present. Only nineteen, she is. No one should ever hafta see what she's seein', 'specially not when they so young, Barret thought sadly, walking over to Laeryn. He sat down beside her.   
"Laeryn?" he said softly, "I know, dis is horrible. My wife's dead too. I was feared fo' my daughter Marlene at first too, but den I remembered she went out on a picnic wit her nanny, jes' befo' dey came..." he stopped a moment, struggling for composure, "And they gonna come back and see dis. No, dey ain't. I'm gonna go find 'em myself. I don't want my Marlene seein' dis...she's only three!" He began crying again.  
"Barret," Laeryn asked, her voice soft and cracking, "Who did this?"  
"Shinra."  
Laeryn stared at Barret in shock. No, that couldn't be right. She worked for Shinra. She fought and killed for Shinra. Why would they do this to her?  
"They was two older guys in dark blue suits an' sunglasses, and a bunch o' kids what looked mebbe twelve, thirteen. They was all wearin' blue uniforms. Soldier," Barret explained.   
"Turks. And Privates, the lowest rank Soldiers," Laeryn said in monotone, "Why did they do this."  
"It's 'cause o' da reactor. Dey was too many people 'gainst it here, so dey killed 'em. Dat's dey only solution to stuff, is killin' innocent people. How can you work for 'em Laeryn, knowin' what dey do to people?" Barret said quietly.  
"I...didn't...know...." She replied brokenly, "I can't...go back...now...."  
Barret looked at her.  
"I can't....go back...to Shinra...not after...this...." She continued, sobs still cutting into her speech.   
Sephiroth's face flashed into her mind, his innocent pleading eyes. But the picture was obscured by her rabid grief. So, for the first time in her life, Laeryn ran.   
  
  
***Sister Ray's Notes***  
Poor Laeryn! She really has things rough in the chapter. And finally we're starting to get into some of the things mentioned in the game, after page upon page of me making stuff up. I like Barrett a lot in this chapter, too. I think it does a lot to explain why he is the way he is, and why he hates Shinra so much.  
  
  
  
  



	7. 

Chapter 6  
Three Weeks Later  
Midgar  
  
President Shinra leaned over his desk, glowering at the five figures standing before him. Beside him stood his son, Rufus. The only physical attributes Rufus had inherited from his father were his straw blond hair and watery blue eyes. The younger Shinra had, however, inherited every bit of his father's short temper, lust for power and arrogance. Rufus calmly eyed the other people in the office, the three Turks, Reno, Rude and Tseng, their overseer Senior Turk Maxily Pesach, and Sephiroth. The four Turks stood rigidly at attention, while Sephiroth lounged impudently against a wall.  
President Shinra gave a wet cough and tossed the remains of a cigar into a nearby plant.   
"It appears we have a traitor on our hands. This is what, the third one in less than a month's time?" President Shinra said, glaring pointedly at Sephiroth.  
"It's not my fault if they cannot handle the Soldier training and discipline," shrugged the General.  
Shinra ignored him. "This one, however, is a bit more serious. One of the best warriors I have ever seen, second only to Sephiroth over here. Filled with the knowledge of my industrial and military secrets. A former Grand Admiral Laeryn Chase. As I recall, she was only supposed to have one week's leave time, am I right Sephiroth?"  
Sephiroth nodded.  
"Which means she should have arrived back here, or at least contacted you, two weeks ago."  
Another nod.  
Shinra began to rant. "I mean, what drives people to do stupid stuff like that? It's not like they ever survive. We always silence them. Like those other two boys, who ran off after the war with Wutai. Cody Salo and Galen Rance. Maxily found them, and silenced them. My company loses valuable assets!"  
"If you're quite finished sir, would you care to share with us your plan?" Maxily asked icily. President Shinra cowered a little under Maxily's heavy amber-eyed stare.   
"Thank you for asking, Maxily, because I've put you personally in charge of this one. Finding and eliminating this traitor is of paramount importance. As my most skilled operative, I know you will be able to get the job done. The rest of you continue as usual. But wherever you go, on a mission or otherwise, keep a watch for her. Pass it on to all of your underlings. I'll see to it that all the newspapers print 'wanted' ads for her. I'm putting up quite a reward for whoever brings me her head and her swords! Dismissed!" Shinra roared.  
Sephiroth followed the Turks as they slid noiselessly from the room. Of course Laeryn had run away. Shinra destroyed her home and her family. Sephiroth knew this, she had told him she lived in North Corel. And he knew about Shinra's plan to burn it. He couldn't bring himself to tell her, because it would upset her. But now he wished he had, because maybe she'd still be here, out of danger. Laeryn was very capable of braving the wilderness and any Soldiers she might run across, but Maxily Pesach was no ordinary monster or Soldier. Sephiroth wrung his long fingers with worry and sadness, knowing he would probably never see Laeryn again.   
After reaching his room, Sephiroth closed the door and slumped down on his bed. Life was going to be unbearable. Finally experiencing contentment and peace, only to have it taken away so soon. This existence was going to be even more miserable than before, now that he had something better to compare it to. Whether she knew it or not, Laeryn had been the only spot of color in the sea of laboratory whiteness and black anger that was Sephiroth's life. The fourteen-year-old pair of blue eyes watching him as he spoke had evolved into a being that served as a rock of stability for him. She was always there, practical and sensible, to calm his fits of emotion. Her strength and fearlessness were as inspiring to him as her surprisingly caring nature. Laeryn stood out as the one who had made him feel safe, and more importantly, made him feel human. And now she was gone.  
Tears slipped down Sephiroth's face as he realized that he was alone once again.  
  
* * *  
Laeryn had been heading into the mountains ever since she fled North Corel. She knew that Shinra would be after as soon as he realized she had deserted. Laeryn was very familiar with the treacherous mountains surrounding North Corel, so she had chosen as difficult a path as possible in hopes of discouraging any pursuit. In addition to the dangerous terrain, several types of large predatory birds and various other unpleasant creatures inhabited the Corel region. Laeryn had been constantly on guard for the past two weeks, fending off attacks from curious predators and the occasional Soldier scout.   
Now she sat underneath a rocky ledge, taking shelter from a thunderstorm. She reached out and caught some of the rainwater as it ran down the rocks. After licking the last of the water from her hands, she leaned back against the wall and assessed her situation. She had very little water and no food left and only one clip left for her gun. She was unharmed, but the storm was making the rocks slippery and difficult to climb. Laeryn disliked staying in one place for too long; that made it easier for Shinra to follow her. Laeryn knew it would most likely be the Turks who were after her; they were usually in charge of handling things like mutiny and rebellion. The Turks were the best trackers on the Planet, and no doubt they had been searching for her for at least a week. Well, at least good thing about the storm, she thought, it'll wash away any tracks I may have made.  
Laeryn reached forward to catch another handful of water when a flash of lightning cast brief illumination on the surrounding area. She froze at the sight of a movement to her left, and moments later a large bird moved into view, shaking water from its feathers. It was easily half as tall as she was, armed with a yellow needle-like beak. The beak was discolored by dark red-brown stains splattered up its length. Laeryn didn't move, even though her arm was starting to get sore from being extended for such a long time. Her other hand slowly reached for her short sword. She recognized the creature standing before her; she had fought them on several earlier occasions. Like most of the other savage, predatory wildlife on the Planet, this bird had no real name. Laeryn had once heard it referred to as a 'Needle Kiss', which seemed like a strange name for it. Creatures of its type liked electricity, using high voltage shocks to kill its prey. The Needle Kiss narrowed its eyes and made a strange hissing sound. The hiss trailed off into a gurgle as Laeryn's short sword found its way into the Needle Kiss's chest. Laeryn backed away quickly as its beak snapped open and shut a few times before it tipped backwards off the ledge. Laeryn held her sword outside and allowed the dwindling rain to wash the blood away.  
The rain slowed down even more and Laeryn emerged from her shelter to see the sun edging around the dark storm clouds. It was time to move on again. By looking at the sun Laeryn was able to tell that she was headed south and west. She needed to find a town of some sort so she could purchase more food and ammunition. There were only two towns anywhere near Corel. One was Gold Saucer, which was in the opposite direction she was travelling. The other was Nibelheim. Nibelheim was small town off the beaten path. It was situated at the base of the Nibel Mountains, an area that no one had set foot in since a Mako reactor had been built there several years ago. Since the building of the reactor Shinra ignored it, with the exception of routine maintenance checks of the reactor.   
An ideal destination, Laeryn realized. It was relatively overlooked by Shinra and would have the supplies that she needed. Maybe she would even be able to rest there for a day or so. Looking up at the newly shining sun, Laeryn steered her course a bit more to the south and began climbing again.   
* * *  
Maxily Pesach was also wandering the wilderness. She had stationed herself on a stretch of green prairie near the base of the Corel Mountains. Her campsite was an elaborate network of technology; a laser net protected the entire site from local wildlife, a global positioning network had been set up to avoid getting lost, and most importantly, a heat-seeking device and satellite radar which could detect any movement in the area. Each morning all of this was disassembled by a team of Privates who served as porters to the high-ranking Turk. They would haul the equipment until Maxily found another suitable site, at which time it would be set up again, and extensive reconnaissance would follow. So far, they had been unsuccessful in finding Laeryn, but Maxily was not about to give up. She knew that Laeryn hadn't gone to Gold Saucer. Soldiers had turned the place inside out. Undercover Soldiers still wandered around there, looking for any sign of her presence.   
The sun was beginning to set, and Maxily swore quietly. This would be the end of the third day she'd spent hunting Laeryn. Never before had it taken her this long to complete a mission. Once again she raised a pair of binoculars to her almond-shaped eyes and scanned the area. With a sigh of frustration, she walked back into the camp.  
"First watch up now", she snapped at the Soldiers. Three of them leapt up and ran to their posts. The fourth lagged behind.   
"Ma'am? I think we've found something," he said.   
"This better not be another false alarm," grumbled Maxily as she scrutinized the computer screen. Her amber eyes widened at what she saw.   
"Good. This is her. She's about twenty-five kilometers away, heading 250 degrees south of east. Probably trying to reach Nibelheim," she said.  
Standing upright, she began barking orders. "Everyone pack up now! We're heading out. We've found what we're looking for, so start moving!"  
The Soldiers hurriedly began disassembling the campsite as Maxily watched impatiently.   
* * *  
Laeryn had almost completely passed through the Corel Mountains. Only the foothills lay ahead of her. Below them was a stretch of prairie, and then the Nibel Mountains rose up sharply. Laeryn estimated she would arrive at Nibelheim in another day or two.   
Even though the terrain was less difficult, the weather had warmed up a great deal and it was hot all day. Laeryn had never been much for hot weather; the heat made her feel lethargic. She leaned against a thin pine tree, making the best of the small area of shade. Wiping her brow with the back of her hand, Laeryn wondered if there was a place on the Planet that was completely free of Shinra's scrutiny, where she could live as a regular person instead of a fugitive. She knew of none such place. Having worked for Shinra for so many years, she knew the full extent of their power and it was a bit frightening. What if they do catch me? she wondered, will they have me publicly executed back in Midgar? Or will I simply be shot by whomever finds me first? Absently she wondered who would replace her as Grand Admiral. Probably Zack. Sephiroth seemed to like him.   
Guilt washed over Laeryn as soon as she thought of Sephiroth. She remembered the night of the ceremony, when he revealed to her his long-buried feelings. Laeryn had been humbled by the trust he had placed in her. And now she had betrayed that trust by running from him. Laeryn hung her head in shame as she realized how selfish she had been by running away. While sadness for the loss of her family still haunted her, it had lessened somewhat and allowed her to think clearly. She realized she had abandoned Sephiroth and left him at the mercy of those she had promised to protect him from. But it was too late to return now.   
Laeryn had never felt so miserable in her entire life. Her family and hometown had been destroyed by the very corporation she worked for, and she had been unable to protect them. After the death of her parents, Sephiroth was the only person she cared about. And now she had run away and abandoned him, too busy thinking of her own sadness and pain to spare a moment for his.   
The sound of voices nearby pulled Laeryn from her dismal reverie. Her head snapped upright and she listened intently. Whomever it was that was speaking was approaching her. She squatted down and peered over the edge of the hill, lying on her stomach. A band of ten people was walking slowly along the grasslands below her. All but one were carrying equipment of some sort, heavy equipment which caused them to stoop under the weight of it. Laeryn looked hard and noticed the people were walking in two parallel lines. Another figure, no doubt the leader, walked between the two lines. They approached the cliff face and then turned to walk parallel to it, directly below Laeryn. As they passed below, they came close enough for Laeryn to recognize the cobalt blue Soldier uniforms and a petite dark-haired woman in a Turk suit. Maxily Pesach, sent to search for her  
Laeryn had two bullets left in her gun. She carefully eyed the procession below her, gripping the gun with both hands to steady it. Closing one eye and staring down the barrel, she pulled the trigger. The Soldier walking in front of Maxily screamed and dropped to the ground. The load he was carrying also dropped and sprawled across the ground. The other Soldiers began to panic, dropping their loads in heaps and milling around, waving guns and swords. Laeryn looked hard for Maxily. She figured the Turk would be trying to reorganize the group and save whatever equipment it was they were carrying. That would take her attention away from the search, giving Laeryn an opportunity to fire her last shot.   
Maxily, however, was nowhere to be found. Laeryn continued to lie on her stomach, nerves on edge. She scanned the entire area for Maxily without success. Laeryn returned to the trees and stood with her back pressed against one, still holding her gun outstretched. The bushes rustled directly in front of her. Laeryn tensed. She saw a flash of navy blue and pulled the trigger. There was no response.   
"Freeze." Laeryn felt the cold of a gun muzzle brush her temple and she did as she was told. Maxily cautiously moved in front of Laeryn until there were a couple feet of space between them, the gun always pointed at Laeryn. Laeryn cursed inwardly as she noticed Maxily was only wearing her blouse and tie. Her blue sport jacket had been draped over a branch in the bushes, creating a decoy.   
Without taking her eyes from Laeryn, Maxily unclipped handcuffs from her belt.   
"Put your hands behind your head and turn around," Maxily ordered.   
Laeryn took a split second to size up the woman in front of her. Maxily was in her late thirties. She had a tiny frame but her attitude and uniform made her seem much larger. Her skin and hair were both dark, which had made it easier for her to sneak up on Laeryn in the shadows.   
Another split second passed and Laeryn moved. In the same motion she pulled her short sword from its sheath and sliced Maxily's hand. The Turk dropped her gun and snarled in displeasure at the red line that had appeared across her knuckles. Laeryn made a dive for the gun, only be kicked solidly in the stomach. She rolled over, the wind nearly knocked out of her, and narrowly avoided Maxily's sword. The Turk's right hand hung by her side uselessly dripping blood but her left hand wielded the sword with skill. Laeryn's breath began to return as she sprang to her feet, pulling out her long sword in the same motion. She swung at Maxily's head with one sword and as the Turk moved to parry, she stabbed at her midsection with the other. Maxily had anticipated such a move and twisted to the side. With a flick of her wrist Maxily held her sword vertically, causing Laeryn's to slide off. As Laeryn repositioned the blade, Maxily dropped and swung at Laeryn's ankles. Laeryn leapt over the sword and planted her foot squarely in Maxily's face. The Turk reeled back, blood now dripping from her mouth as well as her hand. Laeryn saw the opening in her opponent's defense and stabbed downward, only to have her swords collide with Maxily's as the Turk sprang to her feet.   
Laeryn noticed she and her opponent were moving parallel to the cliff face. She noted the position of the sun and allowed Maxily to maneuver her so she was backing toward the edge. Maxily pressed her advantage as much as possible but noticed her error a few moments too late. Laeryn had moved so that the sun was at her back and shining directly into Maxily's eyes. Laeryn continued to bait Maxily, moving steadily backward. The Turk's attack was much weaker now that she could barely see her enemy. At the last moment, Laeryn reversed the positions so Maxily was toward the edge. Laeryn watched her shadow to avoid the glare of the sun. With no more space to back up, Maxily stumbled and rolled awkwardly down the cliff. The Soldiers below had been watching the battle and hollering up at Maxily. When they saw her fall they all grew dead silent. Cautiously they approached her and huddled around her. When they saw Laeryn climbing down the rocks they scattered like scavengers that had been scared away by a predator.  
Laeryn didn't look at Maxily's broken corpse as she walked past. She kept her focus south and west, toward Nibelheim.  
* * *   
Midgar  
A light knock on the door caused President Shinra to look up from the papers he was poring over. As always, Rufus sat at his side, a look that was something between boredom, disgust and rebellion written on the younger Shinra's face.   
"Come in", called Shinra.  
Sephiroth stepped just far enough into the room to allow the door to close behind him. The confines of Shinra's office made him feel claustrophobic.  
"Yes?" the General asked icily, wanting to be out of the room as quickly as possible.  
"The reactor maintenance crews ran their annual reports yesterday. The results came in this morning," Shinra began.  
Sephiroth said nothing, waiting impatiently for the President to give him a reason to care.   
"All the reports were favorable, except for one." It seemed as if Shinra was trying to build suspense with his frequent pauses and intent stare. Sephiroth's eyes glowed in the dim smoky room and Shinra quickly looked elsewhere.   
"Dad, would you please get to the point?" yawned Rufus, puberty making his voice uneven.   
Shinra ignored his son's remark. "You know, son, I think this would be an excellent opportunity for you to practice your leadership skills. Leadership is an important part of running a company, you know. Why don't you take charge of this case?"   
Rufus rolled his cobalt blue eyes. Leadership opportunity indeed! Who did his dad think he was? Rufus could hardly wait for the old coot to croak so he could run things his own way.  
Rufus cleared his throat and looked up at Sephiroth, who was still glowering against the door. The more he watched Sephiroth, the less certain Rufus was about giving him orders. He looked down at the desk as he gave the report.  
"It seems that, uh, the reactor in Nibelheim is experiencing a malfunction. It is no longer reliable and the citizens have been complaining about frequent blackouts. As you know, a malfunctioning reactor can cost the company millions of gil," Rufus felt Sephiroth's eyes boring into him and nervously ran a hand through his straw-orange hair. "Um. The citizens have also been complaining about the local wildlife turning savage. Several people have already been injured. We believe these two incidents may be connected somehow." Rufus blushed as his voice cracked embarrassingly and he could have sworn he saw Sephiroth smirk. "So Sephiroth, you and Grand Admiral Page and someone else are going to arrive in Nibelheim by helicopter. The chopper will leave at 0900 hours. You will find the source of these problems and neutralize them." Rufus had regained enough of his dignity to look up at Sephiroth, who nodded once before stalking out of the room.  
Sephiroth sat down in one of the conference rooms and massaged his temples. He did not want to go on this mission. He detested running stupid little errands for Shinra and that bratty son of his. Fixing a malfunctioning reactor was a simple task that did not require the attention of the General of Soldier. Nor did he want to travel to a town, or anyplace where there would be people. Since Laeryn's departure, Sephiroth had become even more reclusive and depressed. He had nothing but the chores and duties of his job to distract him, and these got old very fast.   
Sephiroth reached into his pants pocket for his cell phone. He called Zack, who had been promoted to Grand Admiral in Laeryn's place.   
"Grand Admiral Page here," came Zack's voice from the phone. Sephiroth sighed heavily at those words, wishing it were Laeryn saying them.   
"Zack, come to conference room C on the 69th floor. We've a mission tomorrow. Bring another person you can trust with you. I don't care who." He hung up before Zack had a chance to say anything else. Why did Rufus insist on him bringing a third person? He and Zack would certainly be able to deal with whatever it was they encountered. Oh well. It wasn't his decision to make, and he really didn't care. Sephiroth brightened momentarily when he realized that there was a minute chance he would encounter Laeryn somewhere during his travels. All the newspapers had been saying she was still at large. This gave him some hope, even though he knew she would never return to Midgar.   
* * *  
Zack knew just the person to bring along to Nibelheim. Cloud Strife opened the door of his ratty apartment and greeted Zack. As usual, it looked as if some creature had taken up residence Cloud's hair. Rough blond peach fuzz was spreading slowly across his sixteen-year-old face. Zack looked upon Cloud's slovenly appearance with a hint of disdain. Zack's hygiene had approved a great deal since his promotion. His dark brown hair, which had once looked similar to Cloud's, was now cut short and organized into a neat row of spikes along the top of his head. With his new hairstyle and regimen of bathing and shaving regularly, people often remarked that he looked older than his seventeen years.   
"Cloud, have I got the chance for you," smirked Zack.   
Cloud waved him inside. "All right, I'm listening."  
"How would you like to go on a mission with me and Sephiroth?"  
Cloud's round eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Whaaat? Why me of all people? I...I never even made it into any office..."   
Zack shrugged. "Sephiroth said he didn't care who else came along, so I figured I'd take you."  
Cloud picked his jaw up off the floor and his astonishment was replaced by over-enthusiasm. "When are we going? Where? What are we doing?"   
"Chill! Sephiroth told us to meet him in the Shinra Headquarters building about ten minutes ago. Hurry up and put some clothes on. We don't want to keep him waiting."  
Looking like a gerbil burrowing through its wood chip bedding, Cloud searched his apartment for his least filthy uniform. After hastily throwing it on, he practically bowled Zack over running out the door.  
"Okayletsgo!" he exclaimed  
Zack rolled his eyes as he followed Cloud down the hall. Maybe the hyper blond hadn't been the best choice for this mission. But it was too late to tell him otherwise.   
* * *   
Right as Sephiroth's patience was beginning to wear dangerously thin, the door to the conference room burst open and Zack strode in followed by another boy. The second boy was small- five and a half feet tall and the most- with a round face and big equally round blue eyes. Above the eyes was an untamed mass of golden hair that must have added four inches to the boy's height. Below his eyes rested a tiny snub nose and heart-shaped lips. He looked no older than twelve or thirteen.  
"General Sephiroth sir!" Zack saluted. The other boy sloppily followed suit. "This is Cloud Strife, who is to accompany us on this mission."  
Cloud rolled his hands into loose fists so neither of his superiors would see them shaking. Sephiroth looked at him and he was terrified that Zack would hear his hear pounding. Cloud had never seen Sephiroth in person before, and the younger boy felt completely in awe. Sephiroth's presence was even more impressive in reality than on television or in photographs. Cloud just stood there staring at him.  
"How old are you?" asked Sephiroth.  
"Se-sixteen, sir," he replied shakily.   
Sephiroth didn't acknowledge his reply. He gestured impatiently for Zack and Cloud to sit.   
"Shinra has received reports of a malfunctioning reactor in the town of Nibelheim. In addition, the local wildlife has been acting strangely. We are going to Nibelheim to repair the reactor. Its malfunction may be somehow connected to the savage behavior of the animals. Be on the roof of this building at 0900 hours. A helicopter will take most of the way. Since there is no place to safely land a helicopter in the Nibel region, we will land forty kilometers south of the town, near Cosmo Canyon. An off-road vehicle will be waiting for us there. We should arrive in Nibelheim by 1400 hours at the latest. I will give you further details when necessary. Dismissed," Sephiroth explained.  
"Yes sir!" Zack saluted and exited the room. Cloud followed him out and kept stealing glances over his shoulder at Sephiroth. The General had leaned back in his chair, studying the ceiling with an almost wistful expression on his face. Cloud wondered what he was thinking about.   
As soon as they were safely down the hall, Cloud began to gush. "Oh my god! I can't believe it! That was so cool! I'm so excited for tomorrow! Thanks so much for letting me go with you guys!"  
Zack smiled at him. "Hey, I aim to please."  
  
  
  
***Sister Ray's Notes***  
Hehehe...Cloud's such a dork! But that's part of the point here; how he grows up between the events that happen before the game plot and those that take place during the game plot. I'm not very happy with Zack though; he's turning out to be a rather bland character. Oh well, I guess we can never be perfect.   
  
  



	8. Nothing Else Matters

Chapter 7  
Cloud Strife nervously paced the length of his apartment. Nibelheim! Of all the places on the Planet, why did they have to go there? Cloud had practically hyperventilated when Sephiroth had named Nibelheim as their destination, but knew better than to turn down what would most likely be his only opportunity to work with famous General. But now he had suckered himself into returning to his hometown. He'd have to face his mother, and even worse, Tifa. Impressing her had been an important part of why Cloud joined Soldier. He'd written her letters boasting of his accomplishments and his rank, promising her that his name would appear in the newspaper "any day now". Of course, none of it was true. Cloud knew that if Tifa found out that he never made it past the lowest foot soldier rank, she'd probably never speak to him again. He had, however, been honest with his mother. But she had also seen some of the letters he sent Tifa and never knew quite what to believe. Maybe he could pretend to be an officer of some sort? No, that wouldn't work. There's no way that Sephiroth would tolerate that. Cloud jumped onto his bed and buried his face in a pillow as he frantically thought his way out of his dilemma.  
* * *  
The next morning, Cloud scrambled up the last flight of stairs to the roof of the Shinra building, where Sephiroth and Zack were waiting for him. He couldn't have been more that three minutes late, but Sephiroth looked very peeved about it. Zack opened the door and climbed inside the helicopter. Cloud jumped in after him. Sephiroth said something to the pilot, seemingly oblivious to the way his hair flew about in the wind created by the blades.   
"Cloud, why are you wearing your helmet now? I don't think the chopper's going to crash," asked Zack. Cloud was wearing his blue combat helmet with the blast shield part way down, flopping over his eyes.  
"Uh, I uh forgot about it until after I packed my stuff and I didn't have any more room for it in my bag," lied Cloud. The helmet was all part of Cloud's plan. It was bulky and created shadows over his face. With the blast shield part way down, no one would recognize him. Zack shrugged and hastily sat at attention as Sephiroth entered and the helicopter lifted off.  
They endured the helicopter ride in silence. Cloud sat hunched forward taking deep breaths, trying to overcome a sudden case of motion sickness. Zack had his chin in his hand, staring out the window. Sephiroth rearranged the last few pieces of hair that had been disrupted earlier. Zack glanced over at Cloud.  
"Are you okay? You look pretty green," he remarked.  
"Yeah *urp* I'll be fine... thanks," came the weak reply.  
"Hang in there just a little longer, we should be landing any minute now," reassured Zack.  
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the helicopter began its descent. They were landing on a flat brown plain dotted with mesas. As they grew closer to the ground, a dark blue off-road truck came into view. The moment the helicopter touched down Sephiroth leapt out and looked impatiently at Zack and Cloud, who were a bit more cautious.   
The truck was nothing fancy, designed to haul cargo, not people. Zack and Sephiroth seated themselves on empty crates while Cloud curled up in a corner, fighting down more nausea.   
"We started about 10 miles north of Cosmo Canyon...we should arrive at Nibelheim exactly on time," Sephiroth said to himself. The truck rumbled forward as dark storm clouds gathered in the sky ahead of them.  
* * *   
As Laeryn walked through the gates of Nibelheim, she looked up at the sky. Black clouds had filled it, and she was glad to have shelter. The residents of the town headed for their homes as the first drops of rain began to fall. Laeryn stood still, looking for the inn.  
"Excuse me, miss!" someone called in Laeryn's direction. She turned and saw a girl a couple of years younger than her waving. "You'd best get inside quickly. You can come to my house if you need a place to stay."  
Laeryn nodded and followed the girl home. They sat down on the living room couch.  
"So where are you from?" asked the girl.  
"I was originally from North Corel, but I moved to Midgar when I was very young," Laeryn answered, observing the girl across from her. The girl had the awkward proportions of a young teenager, but Laeryn could tell from her muscled arms and rough looking hands that she was a fighter of some sort. Her hair was a coffee shade, similar to Zack's, but her eyes were a very distinctive brown, laden with tints of red.  
"Didn't North Corel just burn down in a construction accident? I'm really sorry. My name is Tifa, by the way. Tifa Lockhart," answered the girl.  
Laeryn felt her chest tighten at the mention of her hometown. The images of the charred corpses of her parents flashed in her mind. The memories were followed by boiling rage at Shinra. They were the ones responsible for the destruction. And now they had lied to the entire world! Everyone knew about it, and everyone thought it was a construction accident.   
"Are you okay?" asked Tifa, her mahogany eyes full of curiosity and concern.  
"Yes, thanks. My name is Laeryn Chase, by the way. Thank you very much for offering shelter."  
"No problem. My dad's not home now; he's over at a neighbor's house. He was going to come home this afternoon, but he'll probably be late because of the storm. Sorry, I'm wandering. What do you do for a living? Something with weapons I'd guess, judging from the ones you're carrying," said Tifa.  
Laeryn smiled but wondered what to give Tifa for an answer. "I just carry these for self-defense. The local wildlife is none too friendly. I'm actually just passing through here on an errand," she finally replied.  
"Oh really? I thought you might be in Soldier or something. I know a guy who's in Soldier; he's really good too. I'm into some fighting myself. I do martial arts, I'm one of Zangan's students. I hate to brag, but I won the World Championship last week! I'm only fifteen, so that makes me the youngest person ever to do it," Tifa said proudly.  
Laeryn smiled again, genuinely this time. "Congratulations! You have every right to be proud," she said. Laeryn liked Tifa right away. She was friendly and very talkative, but intelligent and thoughtful at the same time. The fact that she was a world champion martial artist at the age of fifteen only made her more respectable. Laeryn was glad to know that there was someone out there who would treat her as normal person instead of a fugitive.  
"Do you have a job of any kind?" Laeryn continued.  
"I'm a guide, actually. I take expeditions into the Nibel Mountains. Mostly Shinra people looking for the reactor. I don't get many clients, but they always pay well. I'm quite excited about my next client, though. He's from Shinra too, but he's way more famous than most. I'd tell you who, but he asked me to keep his name confidential," Tifa went on.  
Shinra people...someone famous. Laeryn began to wonder.  
* * *   
Rain clattered noisily off the outside of the truck as it approached Nibelheim. Cloud was still curled in his corner, and Sephiroth continued to sit calmly on an empty crate. Zack was getting antsy from sitting down for so long. He stood up and began to pace around the truck.  
"Sure is raining hard," he commented to one in particular. He walked over to Cloud. "How are you feeling?"  
"I'm all right...." came the weak reply.  
"I'm sorry. You must be miserable. I've never really had motion sickness, so I can't relate," Zack said, trying to sound as sympathetic as possible.  
Zack continued pacing until he heard Sephiroth's soft voice. "Hey. Settle down."  
Zack stopped pacing, but kept talking, more to himself than to Sephiroth.  
"I finally got some new materia. I hope I get a chance to test it out on this mission," he exclaimed. Sephiroth rolled his eyes.   
Zack blushed as he realized how much he sounded like Cloud. Awkwardly, he tried to change the subject. "So, um, are you going to tell us any more about the mission?"  
"This isn't a typical mission," came Sephiroth's cryptic reply.  
"Oh good," Cloud croaked from the corner.  
Sephiroth raised a silver eyebrow at him. "Why do you say that?"  
"Well...I joined Soldier to be like you...and this kind of gives me an opportunity to prove myself," Cloud explained.  
Sephiroth saw the irony in the situation, a boy who desperately wanted to be a hero but could barely survive a couple hours in a truck. His soft, breathy laughter reached Cloud's ears. The boy blushed, embarrassed and indignant at the same time.  
"Well then how do you feel, Sephiroth?" Cloud lamely shot back.  
Sephiroth continued laughing. "I thought you were interested in a briefing?"  
Zack finally stood still and Cloud finally stopped talking.  
"We're going to the Mako reactor in Nibelheim because it has been malfunctioning. The animals that live in that area have been acting strangely as well. We are to fix the reactor, and find out why the animals have suddenly become aggressive," Sephiroth said.  
The information was no different than what Zack and Cloud had been told back in Midgar. Zack continued pacing. Cloud continued talking.  
"I'm from Nibelheim," the blond boy remarked.  
"Hmm...a hometown..." Sephiroth murmured under his breath, so softly that Cloud barely heard. He knew he wasn't supposed to hear so he pretended he didn't.  
Any thoughts that Cloud had were interrupted by a forceful crash against the side of the truck that nearly knocked it over.  
"S-sir, something just hit the truck!" came the driver's shrill voice.  
"One of the animals, I suppose," Sephiroth said calmly. He picked up Masamune and stepped out of the truck. Zack accompanied him. Cloud moved to follow as well, but Sephiroth held up his hand and shook his head. Cloud slumped against a crate, disappointed.  
A dragon stood over the truck with its teeth bared. It spotted Zack and Sephiroth and opened its mouth to launch a stream of fire at them. Zack threw himself out of the way. Sephiroth crouched low and ran straight toward the dragon, grimacing as the flames flew over his head and singed part of his hair. The dragon hadn't been expecting such a bold move, and looked quite surprised when Sephiroth buried Masamune to the hilt in its chest. The huge creature screamed in pain and collapsed onto its side. Sephiroth walked slowly through patches of steaming grass  
"Is the truck still operational?" he asked the driver.  
"It's pretty dented up, but it'll go," the driver replied.  
"Good. Zack! We're leaving now," Sephiroth called.  
Zack trotted back in to the truck, beating out smoldering patches on his clothes.   
Cloud stared wide-eyed at his two superiors. Zack looked exhilarated. Sephiroth looked bored.   
"Wh-what was that? Was that the monster?" asked Cloud.  
"It was one of them, yes. It was a dragon. Normally, dragons live high in Nibel Mountains and shy away from people. People have tendency to hunt them for their hides and horns. It was strange to see one here in the foothills, especially one with such aggressive behavior," explained Sephiroth as he wrung rainwater out of his hair.  
Cloud nodded before reverting to his curled position in the corner.  
* * *  
They reached Nibelheim within the hour. Cloud swallowed a fit of nervousness as he adjusted his oversized helmet.  
"Can you even see in that thing?" asked Zack.  
"Yeah kinda. I can sorta see if I look straight down at my feet," Cloud replied cheerily.  
"I don't even know why you're wearing it. Well, whatever," Zack shrugged.   
Sephiroth turned toward Cloud. "So how does it feel?" he asked the younger Soldier.  
"What do you mean, sir?" Cloud said nervously.  
"Well, this is your hometown, right? How does it feel to visit here?" inquired Sephiroth.  
Cloud was caught completely off guard. Sephiroth was not known for asking people about their feelings. To Cloud it seemed almost out of character for him, wrong somehow.  
"W-well, I'm excited I guess. Happy to see my family," he answered nervously.  
"I wouldn't know because I don't have a hometown..." Sephiroth murmured.  
Zack glanced over at Cloud. Apparently he had noticed Sephiroth's odd behavior as well.  
Sephiroth stared at the pointed peaks of the Nibel Mountains, momentarily forgetting about Cloud, Zack and the mission. His entire attention was focused on those mountains. The rain had finally let up and rays of sunlight shone down on them, but there was something wrong about them. No, it wasn't the mountains themselves, it was something in the mountains. It revolted him and drew him at the same time. He could feel it crawling around inside his skull. He could practically hear it calling his name. An awful voice. But he had to listen because it was in his own mind. Sephiroth's better instincts warned him against stepping through the white gates of Nibelheim. But that voice or thought or feeling nibbling in his brain urged him forward. His need to complete the mission urged him forward. He stepped inside.  
"Ummm.....how 'bout your parents?" Cloud's voice suddenly appeared in Sephiroth's ears. He jumped.  
"My mother was Jenovah. And my father...." Sephiroth began. He stopped and shook his head. Mother. Jenovah. That's what he wanted. He had to find her. In the mountains. She would love him. Sephiroth shook his head, alarmed by a thought as random as that. Laeryn loved him. But so does Mother... "It doesn't matter who my parents were. Let's go," he said firmly, more to himself than to Cloud. The three continued their walk into Nibelheim.  
* * *  
"Is there anyplace here that sells ammunition?" Laeryn asked Tifa as she headed for the door.  
"Yep. After you leave my house, go straight across the street, by the well. Then go right two blocks. It's impossible to miss; that store's got a big sign and they sell all sorts of weapons and things," answered Tifa.   
"Thanks again, Tifa. I won't forget; you've been so kind to me. If you ever need help, just let me know," Laeryn said, truly grateful to Tifa for her friendship and hospitality.  
"No problem. Since I'm a guide, helping people is part of my job," answered the younger girl, "Good luck on your journey! Maybe we'll see each other again sometime."  
Laeryn smiled and nodded once. "Later."  
Laeryn stepped off of Tifa's front porch, in better spirits than ever since she had run away. She crossed the street by the well. People had emerged from their homes once again and bustled through the streets on any number of errands. Then suddenly they all stopped. All their heads turned to look at the same place. Laeryn did likewise.  
When she saw what they saw, Laeryn gasped so loudly that some of the attention was momentarily diverted toward her. Sephiroth was standing just inside the gates, flanked by Zack and another Soldier she didn't recognize. Her pulse raced and she stood frozen like an animal about to be mowed down by a truck. Sephiroth coolly returned the stares of the masses before focusing his attention toward the inn. He hadn't seen her. He turned and walked through the crowd, which parted for him like water. Whispers rippled across the mass. Laeryn wanted to call out to him, but decided against it because of the other two Soldiers with him. They would open fire as soon as they noticed her.   
Sephiroth had nearly reached the door of the inn when the smaller boy suddenly turned his head in her direction. The blast shield on his helmet had fallen over his face so she couldn't see exactly where he was looking. It was made clear soon enough when he raised his rifle and yelled, "The traitor is here! There she is!"  
Laeryn turned and lit off for the nearest alleyway. She dove around the corner with a spray of bullets snapping at her feet.  
Sephiroth whirled on Cloud, furious.  
"What were you thinking! Do NOT fire your gun into a crowd of people like that! It wastes ammunition. Choose your target and THEN shoot!" he snapped. Thoroughly cowed, Cloud nodded dumbly.   
"Now what was that you said about Laeryn?" Sephiroth continued.  
Cloud started briefly, surprised to hear Sephiroth call her by name. All the other Shinra bigwigs simply referred to as the "the traitor" or "the fugitive".  
"Well I saw her over there and I'm positive it was her. Then she turned and ran into that alley across the street," Cloud explained, pointing.  
"I'll deal with it. Stay here," commanded Sephiroth.   
Sephiroth leapt through the throng of people which now lay sprawled across the ground, alarmed by the gunfire. Laeryn had survived. A burden had been lifted from him and as he ran across the street he felt like he was flying. The scratch that had appeared on his mind since his arrival faded away, the voice left; it didn't matter anymore. Laeryn was alive and nothing else mattered anymore.  
Sephiroth stepped into the alley. Laeryn was in the back crouched in the shadows, gun in hand.  
"Laeryn?" he called softly.   
She edged forward into a patch of light. Sephiroth was indeed standing before her, Masamune in hand, head tilted slightly to one side. The blackness of his clothing melded with the shadows and his fair skin and hair and bright eyes stood out sharply. Beautiful.  
Sephiroth watched as Laeryn stared at him, her expression a mixture of shock and awe. She looked disheveled; her clothes were torn and dirty and it looked as it she hadn't eaten properly for days. Her hair looked different too; the shorter part had grown out, so it was all nearly the same length, hanging just past her shoulder blades. It had a waviness to it that he hadn't noticed before. Sephiroth immediately felt concerned for her; she needed to rest and she needed to eat. He approached her slowly, unsure of what to tell her.  
Laeryn bowed her head and slid her gun back into her belt. "Sephiroth...I'm sorry," she said softly. Laeryn's conscience had been nipping at her for days for abandoning Sephiroth and now that he was here in person she felt particularly guilty.   
Once he was about an arm's length from her, Sephiroth cautiously reached out to her. "I should be sorry...your family...." He explained in a whisper, "I knew what they were going to do...I didn't want to tell you because I...didn't want you to be upset."  
Sephiroth awkwardly slid his arms around her waist, still holding Masamune. Laeryn eagerly returned the embrace, her head falling onto his shoulder. She fought down tears at the mention of her parents.  
"I was worried about you..." he continued, still whispering, "I was afraid that the Turk might kill you."  
"She did find me, but I killed her first," answered Laeryn.   
"You're not injured are you?" Sephiroth demanded, speaking above a whisper for the first time.  
"No no, I'm fine," she answered, ignoring the fact that her ribs were still sore from where Maxily had kicked her, "So what are you and  
your lackeys doing in Nibelheim of all places?"  
Sephiroth smiled down at her. "We're here to fix the reactor. And find out what's wrong with the animals."  
"Really? They're sending you to fix a broken reactor? Don't they usually have maintenance people do that?"  
"Yes, but I suppose that Shinra, being the idiot that he is, thought this was somehow more important than the numerous other malfunctioning reactor reports they've received over the years."  
"Well at least it's nothing difficult."  
"Yes. Anything to get away from Midgar and Shinra. And Hojo. I hate it all."  
"Sephiroth...." Laeryn whispered through another wave of guilt. She tilted her head upward and kissed him. A moment later they both jumped as Masamune clattered to the ground. Sephiroth looked away, blushing. "Sorry," he muttered, feeling a bit stupid that he had dropped his sword. Then he watched in amazement as Laeryn easily picked up Masamune and leaned it against the side of a building. Sephiroth had never seen anyone else who was able to lift his sword, much less move it around so easily. She never ceased to impress him. Laeryn slowly turned to him, took his face in her hands and kissed him again. Much more relaxed, he passionately returned it.  
Some minutes later they were interrupted by Zack's voice.  
"Sir! Are you alright?" he called.  
Sephiroth hadn't realized how much time had passed. He and Laeryn quickly jumped apart. Zack and Cloud walked into the alley.  
"Yes Zack, I'm fine. I believe you already know Laeryn. She will be accompanying us on the mission tomorrow," Sephiroth said levelly.  
"But sir, she's a traitor!" exclaimed Cloud. He suddenly found Masamune well inside his personal space bubble.  
"Are you questioning my authority?" hissed Sephiroth.  
"No sir!" squeaked Cloud as he hastily backed away from the huge blade.  
Sephiroth lowered his sword. "We are leaving at 0600 hours tomorrow morning. Until then, you are free. If you have family or friends here, you may visit them," he said.  
"Let's go to my place, I'll introduce you to my mom!" exclaimed Cloud. Zack shrugged a reply and the boys wandered off.   
Sephiroth turned to Laeryn. "And you are going to clean up, rest, and eat," he stated. Laeryn didn't object. A hot shower and some real food sounded wonderful to her.  
Sephiroth led her to the hotel and to the suite of rooms he had reserved.   
"Nice accommodations," she said, taking in the lavishly furnished room.  
"I didn't know you would be here, so I only reserved two rooms...." Sephiroth continued, blushing slightly again, "You can use my shower and anything of mine that you need."  
"Thanks," she smiled, and practically ran into the bathroom.   
  
* * *   
"Mom?" called Cloud as he walked into his house.  
A woman in her late forties appeared at the top of the stairs. She had the same light blond hair as her son, only hers was neatly kept and held in place with a headband. Her blue eyes lit up at the sight of Cloud.  
"Cloud!" she exclaimed, "I didn't know you were coming!"  
"Neither did I, actually. We're on a mission and ended up here by coincidence," he explained as he gave her a hug.   
"Well I'm so glad you're home. Who's your friend here?"  
"Mom, this is Zack Page. He's the Grand Admiral of Soldier and a friend of mine," Cloud said proudly.  
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Page," said Cloud's mom, shaking his hand, "Now you boys come on into the kitchen and I'll make supper for you. And Cloud, I want to hear all about what's going on. Tell me about the war with Wutai. I know you've been having some trouble doing well, so are things working out for you?"  
"Well we won the war with Wutai pretty easily," Cloud answered, "And things aren't really going a whole lot better, to be honest with you. It's just lucky that I ended up on a mission with the two highest ranking Soldiers."  
"So what exactly is your mission? Are you here to fix the reactor? The blackouts have become very annoying. Not to mention the animals! They used to pretty much stay away from here, but now there've been at least five people injured by them. Please be careful; I hear they attack without provocation."  
Zack and Cloud went on to explain the mission to her and she continued to grille them with questions about every aspect of Soldier life.   
* * *   
A hot shower had never felt so good to Laeryn. She washed her face and hair numerous times, and even took the liberty of using Sephiroth's toothbrush. We've already swapped spit anyways, so what's the harm? She thought with a chuckle. When the hot water finally ran out she wrapped a towel around herself and pulled her hair into its customary half-ponytail. Her next challenge was to find something decent to wear. Her clothes lay in a pile on the floor, completely filthy. She wasn't thrilled with the thought of putting them on again. As she reached for her shirt she heard a knock on the door.   
"Laeryn?" Sephiroth called.  
"I'll be out in a minute, I just have to put my clothes on," she answered.  
"Oh...well I bought you new ones if you'd rather wear those," he said.  
Laeryn was amazed at what she just heard. Sephiroth bought her new clothes? She must have been in the shower longer that she thought. Adjusting her towel, she stepped into the room. Sephiroth had laid her new clothes out on one of the two double beds in the room. They looked very similar to her old clothes, but were of much nicer quality. The red tank top was made of some silky-feeling material instead of cheap cotton and the black pants were lighter and softer than the denim ones she had before. Even the socks and underwear looked nicer. Laeryn couldn't believe he'd bought her underwear.  
"I hope it all fits. I had to guess on the sizes," Sephiroth said.   
Laeryn ran over to him and hugged him. "Thanks so much! You...you're so...sweet!" she exclaimed, and then winced inwardly when she realized how lame she just sounded.  
"I'm glad you like them. Now get dressed so we can go eat," he answered, kissing her cheek.   
Laeryn grabbed the clothes and ran into the bathroom again. She put them on, trying not to think of how much Sephiroth must have paid for them. Though the pants and underwear fit well the top was a bit too small, but it was nothing she couldn't live with. After belting on her weapons she stepped out of the bathroom. Sephiroth looked appreciatively before heading for the door. Laeryn followed him out.  
"So where are we going to eat?" she asked.  
"Someplace nice," said Sephiroth  
* * *   
Zack and Cloud were certainly enjoying their meal. Cloud's mom had made a huge pot of spaghetti for them and they had eaten almost the entire thing.   
"You boys sure packed it away. Don't they feed you at all in Soldier?" she chuckled.  
"Yeah, if you consider what they give us 'food'," answered Cloud with his mouth full. Zack didn't say anything; the higher your rank was, the better you ate.   
"You'll have to come visit more often then," said Mrs. Strife.   
"Hey Zack, I wonder what Laeryn and Sephiroth are up to," Cloud said.  
Zack sucked in an especially long noodle and rolled his eyes. He had some ideas, but he wasn't about to vocalize them in front of Cloud's mother. "Who knows?"  
"General Sephiroth is here too? Oh good, maybe Nibelheim'll finally get noticed a bit more. Shinra is really pushing this place to the side. We need some new industries to get things moving again," Mrs. Strife began, once steering the conversation in her own direction.  
* * *  
Laeryn's eyes widened at the site of restaurant Sephiroth had chosen. Having grown up in poverty, the site of such lush surroundings was very foreign to her and she felt out of place. She looked self-consciously at the clothes she was wearing. The other women were wearing elaborate evening gowns, some with corsets or bonnets, lots of lace and frills and intricate hairstyles. Even though Laeryn had seen the designer labels on her clothes, they were still below the caliber of what these ladies were wearing.   
Sephiroth was completely unperturbed by the apparent necessary formality. He had swapped his long coat for a black silk shirt that looked almost translucent when the light hit it a certain way.  
"Um, Sephiroth? Don't you think this place is a little...fancy?" Laeryn whispered.  
"I find the excessive formality quite ridiculous, actually," he said in a audibly, "The food, however, is excellent."  
Moments later a waiter approached them. He noticed their casual attire and his face took on a rather flustered looked. Sephiroth stared at him a moment, daring him to say anything about it. The waiter wisely chose to keep his mouth shut and silently led them to a table.   
"We were probably supposed to have reservations," Laeryn whispered again.  
Sephiroth smiled at her. "That didn't seem to be a problem."  
Not surprisingly, people were beginning to whisper and point. Wherever Sephiroth went he seemed to be followed by a constant train of points and whispers. He ignored it but it made Laeryn a bit uncomfortable.   
Laeryn picked up the menu and nearly choked when she saw the prices. How could people possibly have that much money to spend on a single meal?  
"Get whatever you want. Shinra pays for everything," said Sephiroth.  
Laeryn felt much better upon hearing that, and vowed to order several servings of the most expensive things on the menu.  
Laeryn ordered a tremendous amount of food and ate ravenously. Having grown up in the army, her table etiquette wasn't entirely proper but Sephiroth didn't care. He spread his napkin in his lap, sipped his wine and cut his food into bite sized pieces. Laeryn attracted several stares of her own as she rested her elbows on the table, quaffed her wine and speared huge chunks of food with her fork and bit off smaller pieces.   
Long after Sephiroth finished, Laeryn continued eating. He had never seen one person eat so much before.  
"Did you eat anything over the past couple weeks?" he asked.   
"I ate whatever I could find. Those wilderness survival skills they teach you in basic training are more useful than you might think," she said wryly. Sephiroth blanched at the thought of what she may have eaten.   
Finally Laeryn stopped eating and deposited her silverware sloppily on her plate.  
"Feeling better?" Sephiroth asked.  
"You have no idea," she smiled.  
"That's good. Now we need to collect Zack and Cloud and head back," said Sephiroth.  
Zack and Cloud were already on their way back to their room. Having finished the spaghetti and thanked Mrs. Strife profusely, the boys said goodnight and headed for their room, knowing they had to get up early in the morning.  
"I can't believe how fancy this place is!" Zack exclaimed as he dug excitedly through the little bottles of shampoo and lotion and mouthwash in the bathroom.  
"I know! There were mints on the pillows when we got here," Cloud gushed, "Comfy beds too."  
"Do you want to shower first, or shall I?" asked Zack.  
"Go 'head," said Cloud, "I think I need to lounge on this bed a little longer."  
"Good deal," replied the older boy as he snatched up the miniature shampoo bottles.  
Sephiroth pounded on the door of Cloud and Zack's room.  
"Yeah?" Cloud called.  
"You guys better be going to sleep soon. We're leaving at 0600 hours tomorrow and I am not waking you up," he said sternly.   
Laeryn smiled sadly, remembering how her dad said things like that to her when she was little.   
After entering his room, Sephiroth sat down on his bed and sighed. He was still bothered by what he had experienced when they first arrived at Nibelheim. He had forgotten about it for most of the day, preoccupied as he had been with Laeryn. She was still here; the feeling hadn't returned, but it still unnerved him that he could experience something like that. The thing in the mountains...it was wrong. He didn't want to go into the mountains tomorrow. He wanted to take Laeryn and get as far away as possible. But he had to know what it was. That's what Mother would have wanted. There it was again. The random thought of Mother. Prior to his coming to Nibelheim, Sephiroth never thought about his parents. But now the unknown wishes of his long-dead Mother seemed of paramount importance.   
Sephiroth felt Laeryn sit down beside him. Mother faded away.   
"What's bothering you?" she asked as she rubbed his back.  
"Something is wrong here..." he whispered.  
"Where?"  
"In the mountains...there's something there...and it's wrong. I wish I didn't have to go there..." He tightly held onto to Laeryn as if he were clinging to a rock to keep from drowning. "But at the same time I feel obligated to go there. Not just because of the mission, but because of Mother."  
"Jenovah?" Laeryn said, recalling their conversation the night of the celebration.  
Jenovah. The word was somehow terrible and beautiful at the same time. "Jenovah. I never knew her...but somehow...she knows me...I know her wishes..." Sephiroth tried to explain. Laeryn realized he was trembling.   
"I know it's wrong, but she's my Mother...I feel obligated to her..." he murmured.  
Laeryn was now very worried about Sephiroth. "Don't go, Sephiroth. I'll see the mission through. You will stay in the town tomorrow. It's safer for you," she said firmly.  
Sephiroth shook his head. "I have to go. It is my duty."  
Sephiroth was incredibly stubborn and Laeryn knew it was pointless to argue with him. Laeryn suddenly felt very afraid. Now that her family was dead, Sephiroth was the only person that mattered to her anymore. She wasn't sure what she would do if he were killed as well. Laeryn felt tears rising in her eyes at the thought of him dying.   
"Then I'm going to protect you. Not just on this mission, but always. I promise," Laeryn whispered. The tears overflowed and spilled down her cheeks.   
"Laeryn..." he whispered as he pulled her onto his lap and kissed the tears off her face. Sephiroth didn't know why she had suddenly become upset, "Now something's bothering you."  
"...I don't want you to die, Sephiroth...I don't know what I would do if you died..." she stammered, slightly embarrassed by her emotional display but unable to control it.  
"I'm not going to die. I'm not going to leave you," he replied resolutely, "I promise."  
Sephiroth closed the small distance between their mouths and kissed her. Laeryn was pleasantly surprised by his sudden initiative and moved her lips down along his jaw-line and neck. Sephiroth didn't object. Quite the opposite as he lay back and pulled her down with him.  
* * *  
"Hey Cloud, funny how Sephiroth was yelling at us to go to sleep early? Jesus H. Christ!" Zack swore as he wrapped a pillow around his head.  
  
  
***Sister Ray's Notes***  
God I had NO idea I was such a sap! Look at that! I guess Sephiroth just brings out that side of me ^_^ Yes I'm really obsessed with Sephiroth in case you haven't noticed. I think Tifa's very cool, so I portrayed her as a cool person. I think this chapter nicely sets the stage for the next one. Warning: the next chapter is going to be a LOT less happy. If you've played the game, you can probably guess some of the things that are going to happen. And now that school's almost out, I'll have tons of time to write it; yay!  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Metamorphic Restlessness

Chapter 9  
Awareness slowly crept into Laeryn's mind the next morning. It was ushered in by something heavy draped over her side and something warm off to her side. She peeled her eyes open to see Sephiroth lying next to her, still asleep. His face was partially obscured by his long silver bangs but his lips were visible, slightly parted, and his chest rose and fell slowly. Laeryn sat up as cautiously as she could, not wanting to disturb him. Dim morning twilight was beginning to creep through the windows. Probably about an hour until they had to meet Cloud and Zack. Laeryn shifted her weight as she leaned forward to gather her clothing off the floor. Sephiroth stirred, rolling onto his back. His hair pooled behind his head like a silver halo. He looks so innocent, like an angel, she thought. She considered seeing the mission through herself and letting him sleep but figured he'd be unhappy when he found out she left without him. She leaned back over him and began to trace the muscles of his chest. "Sephiroth," she murmured against his ear. He ground loudly and sat up, rubbing at his eyes. When he finally opened them the room became considerably brighter. Sephiroth glanced around, looking a bit confused until he saw Laeryn. He clumsily hugged and kissed her, but missed her lips. He stumbled out of bed, deftly tripping over his pants before making his way to the bathroom, oblivious to the fact that he hadn't a stitch on. Laeryn got the distinct impression that he wasn't a morning person.   
Sephiroth emerged from the bathroom a short while later, dripping wet and blushing furiously, clutching a small white towel around his waist. "My clothes..." he muttered as he grabbed them off the floor. Laeryn couldn't help but laugh. She threw on her on clothes and picked a few tangles out of her hair before waiting by the door for him.   
Some minutes later Sephiroth was ready, dressed in his usual attire complete with white shoulder armor and straps crossed over his chest.  
"Took you long enough," she griped.  
He glared at her. "Would you rather me be a complete slob like Zack or Cloud?"  
Laeryn laughed. "No no. Meticulousness isn't always a bad thing. In the case of your appearance it certainly pays off."  
The compliment went completely over Sephiroth's head. He just looked at her for a few moments before strolling downstairs to the lobby.   
"General!" Zack called from behind them.  
"Where's Cloud?" Sephiroth asked. Patience had never been Sephiroth's strong point and if Cloud wasn't ready on time they were leaving without him.  
"Uh, I think he's coming in a few minutes. He said he was," answered Zack. He started as he noticed Laeryn for the first time.  
"Grand Admiral...errr no...Laeryn...Miss Chase...good morning," he said awkwardly. Zack knew he'd best be very polite to Laeryn or he'd catch hell from Sephiroth. And though he was dying to know exactly what was going on between them, he knew much better than to ask either of them about it.   
"We're leaving. If Cloud ever gets out of bed, maybe he'll have a chance of catching up with us before we leave town," answered Sephiroth, "Let's go."  
It was a Sunday morning and no one else in Nibelheim was awake yet. They walked through the eerie silence towards the gate at the north end of town.  
"What's that building over there? It's much larger than all the others," Zack asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. The building in question was huge, situated at the top of a slight hill. It looked like it had been resplendent at some point, but now it was completely abandoned and dilapidated. A twisted black iron gate barred any entrance.  
"That is the Shinra mansion. Many years ago, shortly after the Shinra family became wealthy, they bought that house. They abandoned it almost twenty-five years ago, saying something about how they grew tired of the scenery," answered Sephiroth. He shivered suddenly, even though it wasn't particularly cold. A wave the unpleasant feeling he experienced earlier passed over him, and he couldn't help but feel that the sudden abandonment of the Shinra mansion had something to do with what was in those mountains. He did not want to go into the mountains. Something was wrong.   
"General Sephiroth!"  
Sephiroth jumped at the voice and turned to see and older man waving towards him. Running ahead of the man was a young girl. She was wearing knee-length khaki shorts, a white tank top and a baseball cap. She also wore heavy boots with metal studs across the top. Her gloves sported a row of metal across the knuckles. The girl walked right up to Sephiroth without any trace of apprehension or fear and bowed formally.   
"General, sir. I'm Tifa Lockhart, your guide into the mountains today. I am at your service," she said.   
The older man, Tifa's father, caught up with her. "General. Please don't let anything happen to her," he pleaded. Despite Tifa's familiarity with the mountains and her skill at fighting, her father never ceased to worry about her.  
Tifa rolled her red-brown eyes. "Dad, please. Not only am I the best martial artist in the world, I have all these people from Soldier with me. Nothing will happen."  
Sephiroth nodded once in response. "Tifa?" said Laeryn.  
"Laeryn! Hi! I didn't expect to see you again so soon. You're going with the Soldiers?" she asked.  
Cloud's voice interrupted any further conversation. "I'm here!" They all turned to see him come barreling up, helmet firmly planted over his face. He saw Tifa chatting with Laeryn and sorely regretted lying to her. He wished he could take his helmet off and talk to her. He hadn't seen her in so long, but she was just as he remembered her. Reddish, mahogany colored eyes, brown hair pulled back in a low, loose pony-tail. Her irrepressible energy and courage.   
"Good. We're leaving. Miss Lockhart, go ahead," said Sephiroth.   
"Call me Tifa," she replied, turning bright red.   
Another man came running after them as they were about to step through the gate.  
"Wait a moment!" he called.  
Sephiroth turned, his patience wearing thin due to Cloud's tardiness.  
"C-can I...take your picture?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.  
Sephiroth looked as if he were about to give the man a close-up of Masamune, but was distracted when Tifa happily complied. She stood next to him and smiled. Laeryn stood on his other side, and Zack next to her.   
"Cheeeese!" Tifa and Zack smiled. Sephiroth glared. Laeryn blinked. By the time Cloud realized what was going on, the photo session was over and done with.  
"That's it. No more interruptions. We are leaving now," Sephiroth growled and stormed out the gate.  
"Hey! Wait for me! I'm the guide! I have to go ahead of you because I know where we're going," called Tifa as she ran to catch up with him. Laeryn caught up and walked with Tifa. Zack and Cloud brought up the rear.   
Tifa glanced over her shoulder to make sure Sephiroth was out of earshot.   
"Woo! Sephiroth is hot! And he's so polite too! What a doll," Tifa raved as quietly as possible.  
"Yes he is. A complete angel," agreed Laeryn.   
Tifa looked wide-eyed at her friend. "Are you...with him?"  
"I guess you could say that," Laeryn replied nonchalantly.  
"Mmman! Are you lucky! I guess he's a little old for me anyways. He's what, twenty-five? Yeah, that makes him ten years older than me. But what about that Zack guy? He's not much older than me and he's pretty fine too," Tifa continued.  
"Zack? Are you serious?" laughed Laeryn, "Sorry, I've just spent waaay too much time around that kid."  
They stopped at the edge of a deep chasm, filled with mist making it impossible to see the bottom. A crumbling wooden slat bridge was the only way of crossing. Ahead the gray pointed peaks of the Nibel mountains rose even higher. Tendrils of thick white fog threaded their way through the points, obscuring visibility. The entire scene seemed very unfriendly.  
"Okay! That first part of the climb was pretty easy but it gets a lot tougher from here out. And watch your footing on this bridge, it can be tricky," Tifa announced as she cautiously made her way onto the slats. She pulled a bit ahead of the others since she was more familiar with bridge. Laeryn caught up to her, and moved one slat ahead. Sephiroth, Zack and Cloud stood just behind Tifa. She stopped quite suddenly and Cloud nearly plowed into her. Laeryn glanced over her shoulder at her. An off-key creaking sound reached their ears.  
"Shit! The bridge!" Tifa yelled as the frayed ropes finally gave way.   
"Grab the rope!" yelled Sephiroth as the bridge broke in half. He and Zack held on with both hands as the bridge continued to swing over the chasm. Tifa was holding on with one hand; Cloud was hanging from her other.   
The bridge broke directly behind Laeryn, separating her from her companions. She could only dangle from the rope and watch helplessly as Sephiroth and the others swung away in the opposite direction. Because of the fog she quickly lost sight of them. Laeryn watched as the cliff face in front of her grew larger and larger until she finally smashed into it. The impact wrenched the rope from her grasp and she tumbled downwards, blacking out.   
* * *   
"Reach up and grab the rope! My hand's getting tired," Tifa snapped at Cloud.  
He did so, and they carefully climbed down the rope to a wide ledge.  
Sephiroth glared at Tifa. "I'd appreciate it if you would warn us about things like that, Miss Lockhart."  
"I'm very sorry, Sephiroth. The added weight must have caused it to collapse. However, I still know where we are. All the caves in these mountains are interconnected, so we will still be able to reach the reactor. Let's move out," she said matter-of-factly, not dwelling on what she should have or could have done.  
"Wait," Sephiroth froze suddenly, "Where's Laeryn?"  
Zack, Cloud and Tifa looked at each other uncertainly.  
"Where is she?!" demanded Sephiroth, his eyes widening with fear.  
He approached the edge of the ledge. "Laeryn!" he screamed, "Laeryn!"  
He sank to his knees as the only reply he received was his echo. He covered his face with his hands and forced his composure to stay with him. This was not a good time to get upset. Not in front of all these people. But how could he help it? Laeryn was lost somewhere. She could be dead for all he knew.   
Zack, Cloud and Tifa shuffled around nervously. Tifa was the first to speak up.  
"Sephiroth sir? Will you be all right?" she asked timidly.   
Sephiroth ignored her question and rose, bowing his head so that his hair covered his face and hid his tears. Silently he walked toward the cave. He had to go on. He couldn't let Mother down like that. She was waiting. This thought no longer alarmed Sephiroth. He felt nothing toward it, or anything else for that matter, now that Laeryn disappeared. But he knew he couldn't bear to be left alone again, not after falling in love like this. But Mother was there to comfort him. She would love and protect him, even when Laeryn could not. Sephiroth immediately felt ashamed of his last thought. He held Laeryn's promise in higher regard than that. How could he push it aside so easily? What was happening to him?  
The others walked a few paces behind him, unsure of how to act. Once they reached the cave, Tifa attempted to lighten to mood.  
"I love these caves; they have such pretty colors. I wonder what makes them like that?" she said, a false cheeriness in her voice. Tifa didn't believe Laeryn was dead. She couldn't be dead. She had survived for weeks on her own in the wilderness. Of course she would be able to survive. Tifa felt the worst for Sephiroth. It was obvious that he really cared about Laeryn.  
She was very surprised when Sephiroth answered her question. "The Mako energy in the rocks makes it that color. These mountains are abundant in it, which is why a reactor was built here."   
"Interesting," replied Tifa. Sephiroth made no further response.  
* * *   
Laeryn rose shakily to her feet, leaning heavily on a bolder for support. The splitting throb in her head was nearly unbearable but she forced herself to remain standing. She looked up and winced as the movement made her head hurt even more. The fog made it impossible for her to see where she had fallen. All she remembered was the rope snapping and the cliff face looming in front of her. A quick glance around revealed that she was alone. Her companions had fallen in the opposite direction. She wondered if Sephiroth had survived the fall. "Sephiroth!" she yelled, knowing her efforts were futile, "Sephiroth!"  
Laeryn wasn't surprised to hear her own voice bouncing back at her as a response. She fought down waves of anxiety and terror of the fact that Sephiroth might be lying dead somewhere and forced herself to think clearly. They had traveled north from Nibelheim into the mountains. Laeryn dug around in her pocket until her hand closed over her compass. The glass covering its face was cracked but she could still read it. Laeryn had no idea where the others might be or where they were headed, so she decided that the most logical thing to do was return to town and wait for them there. Right now she was facing almost due west. She turned south and began the strenuous hike back to Nibelheim.  
* * *  
Sephiroth, Zack, Cloud and Tifa exited the cave and came to a small open space. The space was illuminated by a series of small glowing crystals surrounded by undulating mist of some sort. The mist was nearly the same color as Sephiroth's eyes.  
"Whoa! What is that?" exclaimed Tifa, once again unable to contain her curiosity.  
Sephiroth's flat soft voice crept up from behind her. "It's Mako fountain. They are extremely rare."  
"It's so beautiful!" Tifa said excitedly. She nimbly leapt through a maze of dead tree roots to get a closer look. Sephiroth followed close after her and Zack and Cloud scrabbled behind. Sephiroth leaned in close to the glowing form.  
"Those crystals in the center are materia. Materia is hardly ever seen its natural state like this," he explained, still in monotone. Zack thought it was very odd for Sephiroth to be so openly talkative, and realized he was probably talking to keep his mind focused on something other than Laeryn.  
To keep Sephiroth talking, Zack chimed in with another question. "Why is that materia allows you to use magic?" he asked.  
"You're a Grand Admiral and you don't even know that?" Sephiroth responded, genuinely surprised, "Mako energy comes from the Lifestream, where souls wander over the Planet. Materia is condensed Mako energy. Therefore, when you use materia, you are using the knowledge of the Cetra, via the Lifestream. That knowledge interacts between ourselves and the Planet, calling up magic. Or so they say."  
"Magic...a mysterious power," said Cloud, trying to add dramatic effect to the conversation. Sephiroth laughed a bitter, cynical laugh.  
"What's so funny?" snapped Cloud, arms akimbo.  
"A man once told me never to use a term as unscientific as magic. He said it shouldn't be called that at all. I still remember how angry he was..." Sephiroth said bitterly.  
"Who was that?" asked Cloud.  
"Hojo, Shinra's Director of Science. A walking mass of complexes," snarled the General.  
"Alrighty then, if everyone's ready shall we move on?" prompted Tifa. Her fascination with the Mako fountain had worn off and she was ready to get moving again.  
Sephiroth nodded and moved toward the next cave ahead.   
"We're going to have to be extra careful from now on. The closer we get to the reactor, the higher the likelihood that we'll run into some animals. We've been really lucky so far," she explained, defiantly trotting ahead of Sephiroth.  
* * *   
The going was much tougher than Laeryn had anticipated. On their way up they had been walking on a path, albeit a rough, difficult one. Now there was nothing but steep bolder fields, jagged rock points and nearly sheer ravines to climb over. Laeryn heeded Tifa's earlier words and kept a sharp eye and ear out for any predatory creatures nearby. Time had passed quickly and the afternoon was wearing on. Laeryn really didn't want to be in the mountains after dark, so she tried to move as quickly as possible. Even if she ended up a bit west or east of Nibelheim, at least she would be safer on the plains than in these mountains. Thinking of the dangers of the mountains only made her worry more about Sephiroth. What if he was injured and unable to defend himself from the animals? Laeryn wrenched at the thought; she was no doubt far away from him now and she would be unable to protect him, unable to keep her promise. Well I'll cause him even more grief if I die in these mountains, she thought resolutely and picked up her pace.   
* * *  
The reactor rose up out of the jagged ground, reclining against the face of a cliff. The numerous pipelines and pillars plunging into the rock made it look at bit like a spider clinging to a wall.   
"Here we are at the reactor. We sure took the long way, but we made it!" said Tifa, leaning against a rock to catch her breath. Sephiroth had set a very strenuous pace and the other had to jog to keep up with him. Cloud approached Tifa, quite nervous despite the fact that his helmet completely hid his face from view.  
"Miss Lockhart, you're going to have to wait outside," he said to her, making his voice sound a little deeper.  
"No way, kid! I'm going in too. I want to see the inside," she replied confidently as she pushed past Cloud.  
Sephiroth promptly ended the debate. "These reactors contain Shinra's industrial secrets. Only authorized personnel are allowed in."  
"But...!" she started to protest.  
Sephiroth looked at Cloud. "Take care of the lady."  
Tifa was flattered that Sephiroth had referred to her as lady and dropped the argument.   
As soon as Sephiroth and Zack went inside, however, she immediately tried to run up the stairs after them. Cloud jumped ahead of her and resolutely blocked her path.  
"Mmman!" she exclaimed, stomping her foot, "You better take real good care of me!"  
Sephiroth shuddered as he stepped inside. This was the source of the wrong. It was here. It felt horrible, like there were ants crawling around on his brain. He glanced back outside, toward the light. He almost turned back. No no, keep going my son. Mother's gentle hiss echoed in his mind. She must be close. In here, maybe? Now he could hear her words, understand what she wanted. Suddenly Sephiroth found himself climbing down a series of chains. He hadn't remembered moving away from door, but now he was suddenly far enough in that he could no longer see light. What's happening to me...he wondered, slightly afraid. Zack was still behind him, dutifully following. He desperately wished it were Laeryn. Somehow her presence palliated the feeling of wrong, the dark echoes in his mind, and Mother's voice. But how could he possibly ignore the wishes of his own Mother?  
They made their way through a small door into the heart of the reactor. Sephiroth took in a strangled gasp at the site before him. The word 'Jenovah' was inscribed all across the walls and on the pipes above. A single flight of stairs cut the room in half, and at the top another dark door was visible. On each side of stairs were several rows of metal capsules, each with a small glass circle on the front.  
Sephiroth had stopped so suddenly that Zack almost ran into him.  
"Uh, something wrong, sir?" he asked, noticing his leader's sudden tension.   
Sephiroth ignored him and began examining the room. On the left wall several of the coolant valves were open, releasing steam into the room.  
"This is the reason for the malfunction. The water coolant has been leaking, causing the reactor to overheat and shut down. Zack, close the valve," he said blankly.  
Zack did as he was told and the hiss of steam stopped, leaving the room in eerie silence.  
"I wonder why it broke..." Sephiroth thought out loud. He walked over to one of the capsules and peered inside through the small glass circle. His eyes widened at the terrible site. A monster was inside the capsule. No, no not a monster. A regular animal that had been horribly mutated by overexposure to Mako energy. In fact, the animal appeared to be surrounded by pure Mako inside its capsule.  
Sephiroth cursed under his breath. "Hojo, you insane bastard..."  
Zack looked questioningly at Sephiroth. Very rarely did he swear.   
"This system condenses and freezes Mako energy in order to produce materia. That is, when it's working correctly. However, Hojo of Shinra has put living creatures into these capsules. Look for yourself," Sephiroth said with disgust.  
Zack stood on tiptoe to look through the window. He immediately reeled back in horror. "Wh-what is that?!?"  
"All normal people are exposed to some degree of Mako energy in their daily lives. These small doses have no effect on their bodies. However, these animals and humans have been exposed to a far higher degree of Mako energy.  
"A-are they...monsters?" Zack asked, still shocked from what he had seen.  
"Yes. And Hojo is the one who put them here," growled Sephiroth, "They are regular animals, and ordinary people, who have been grossly mutated by overexposure to Mako. That's what these monsters are. Animals...and people."  
"Earlier when you were talking you said 'normal people'. Does that mean that you're different somehow?" asked Zack innocently.  
Sephiroth turned from Zack and took a shaky breath. No. It couldn't be... Had Hojo created him this way too? Was he nothing more than a monster, a mutated freak? He frantically tried to recall what Laeryn had said to him the night of the celebration...how comforting her words had been. Know the truth, whispered Mother. Suddenly he couldn't remember what Laeryn said. Sephiroth was terrified. He was so used to being in control of situations and now confusion was the only thing he could see.   
"H-hey Sephiroth..." Zack said carefully.  
"N-no..." whispered Sephiroth, his voice breaking, "Was I...?  
Zack hastily leapt backwards as Sephiroth began to slice at the capsules with Masamune, each clanging impact leaving a deep score mark.  
"Was I created this way too?" he screamed, dropping Masamune, "Am I no different from these monsters?!?"  
"Sephiroth..." Zack said, a bit frightened. He took a cautious step toward his leader.  
Sephiroth whirled on him suddenly. "You saw it, Zack. Some of these monsters used to be human..." His voice broke again, and tears threatened his eyes once again.  
Zack watched in bewilderment as Sephiroth slowly bent to pick up his sword. As he did so he began to speak slowly.  
"Ever since I was small, I felt...that I was different from the others. Special in some way. But not like this..."   
His speech was interrupted be an earsplitting screech. Both men turned in alarm. One of the capsules broke open and a creature tumbled out, writhing on the floor as if trying to cling to some vestige of its lost humanity. It seemed to give up after a few moments and lay still.  
The sight was too much for Sephiroth. "That's it. We're leaving!" He turned and dashed toward the door. Stay with me, my son! Please don't leave me! I love you!, Mother cried. Adrenaline made Sephiroth's feet move. God, it was wrong. Everything he had seen was wrong. So was his own existence... Sephiroth forced himself to ignore the wishes of his Mother. The more he tried, the more his head hurt. The pain was agonizing like needles, of which he was deathly afraid. Needles sliding into his skull. He screamed in agony, clutching his head, ran out the door and nearly fell down the stairs. He was hyperventilating, gasping for breath.   
"We're...leaving now...let's go...hurry," he gasped before taking off down the mountain side.  
"What was in there? He looks terrified," Tifa whispered to Zack.  
Zack merely shook his head. "I...I can't explain...I don't think I understand..."  
"Well did you at least get everything fixed?" asked Cloud.  
"Yes, we did. The blackouts shouldn't be a problem anymore," answered Zack, still sounding a bit shaken up.  
"And what about the monsters?"  
"The monsters... They are animals mutated by overexposure to Mako energy. We'll leave it at that."  
Cloud wasn't sure what Zack meant by that last part, but nodded a reply anyways.  
"Shouldn't we go after Sephiroth?" Tifa interrupted.  
"Yeah, I bet you'd like to 'go after' Sephiroth," snickered Zack.  
Tifa belted him over the head. "Oh, shut up! You're just jealous! I'm going back to town and leaving you two dumbasses here!"  
"Owww! Hey that hurt! I'm coming with you!" Zack exclaimed and ran after her.  
"I didn't even say anything!" called Cloud, trying to catch up.  
Sephiroth continued his mad dash down the mountain toward the Shinra mansion, determined to find the truth.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. Mother Should I Build The Wall

Should I Build The Wall  
Zack, Cloud and Tifa paused a moment to catch their breath. Their helter-skelter, downhill pursuit of Sephiroth left them panting for air.   
"Jesus...Sephiroth... is fast..." panted Zack.  
"Yeah...no kidding...let's just... find him when...we get back," replied Cloud, equally winded.  
"You two shut up a sec!" snapped Tifa. Her head was cocked as she picked up on a barely audible clicking sound. Her eyes narrowed as she crouched into a fighting stance.  
"Don't move. There's a creature near. Twin Brain, I think, judging from that sound it was making," she whispered.  
Zack and Cloud had no idea what a Twin Brain was but it sounded sufficiently intimidating to urge them to comply with Tifa's directions. Their eyes widened as several dark purple tendrils snaked around from behind a pile of rocks. The tendrils withdrew a moment later and two creatures emerged. They were about the same height as Zack, with mottled dark purple skin. Two rows of four slanted yellow eyes covered the front of its elongated body. Eight long purple feelers sprouted from each side and a round toothy mouth was positioned below the eyes.  
The blood drained from Cloud's face. He had never seen anything like this in his training simulations. How was he supposed to attack this thing? He had been trained to fight people, not monsters. Similar thoughts worked their way through Zack's mind. The dark-haired boy held his breath, forcing down a sudden urge to sneeze. Zack cursed himself inwardly. He was not going to be the one to get them killed by these monsters. Tifa stood perfectly still, every muscle in her body coiled in anticipation.  
Zack sneezed. The Twin Brain lashed out with a tentacle. Zack ducked frantically as it narrowly missed his head.   
"Hit the eyes!" yelled Tifa as she charged at the second creature.  
She leapt through the air. Her long muscled legs uncoiled and planted a pair of devastating kicks to its face. The series of meaty thwacks was followed by an outpouring of dark blood as the spikes on Tifa's boots ripped into its eyes. With several of the eyes now useless, the Twin Brain faltered, trying to regain its bearings. Tifa ducked low to avoid the involuntary snaps of its tentacles. She leaned toward its blind side to further disorient it. As it turned to face her with its good eyes, Tifa unloaded a punch to the narrow region between the rows of eyes. Another punch quickly followed and the Twin Brain collapsed, its face torn apart by Tifa's fists.   
Zack and Cloud had managed to sever half of the other Twin Brain's tentacles.  
"Keep cutting at the tentacles, Cloud! I'll try to hit the face!" yelled Zack as leapt into the air to avoid a swipe at his legs. He immediately slipped off to the side and waited until the creature's attention was fully focused on Cloud.  
Cloud's eyes were still wide with fear but he slashed doggedly at the tendrils whenever the opportunity presented itself. Cloud spent most of the time parrying the remaining tentacles as he put his limited swordsmanship skills to the test.  
"Dammit Cloud, just a little longer..." Zack muttered, "Yes, that's it...move a little more to the left...perfect!"  
Zack leapt forward and plunged his broadsword into the Twin Brain's side. He quickly pulled his sword out and leapt back as the tentacles flailed weakly at him. The creature finally fell in a pool of its own blood.  
Tifa walked over to them, her breathing slightly faster than normal. Her cheeks were flushed with exertion and the red of her eyes overpowered the brown. Cloud stared blatantly at her, very thankful for his helmet.  
"Damn! Of course the monsters don't come after us until we're in a hurry," Tifa said with a roll of her eyes.  
"Yeah no kidding. Sephiroth's waaaay ahead of us now. He's probably already back in town somewhere," agreed Zack.  
"Well then let's not waste anymore time talking. Off we go!"   
* * *  
Sephiroth was back in Nibelheim already, at the hotel. He numbly pushed open the door to his room. It seemed so unreal, like he was acting all this out on a stage, with himself as the audience as well. He sat down on the bed and stared at the tangled sheets. The pillow, which still had a vague indent in the shape of her head. The whiteness of the pillow was marred by a tiny line of black, a piece of her hair. Sephiroth picked it up and examined it. She was gone. The awful truth loomed before Sephiroth; that he was a mutated freak of nature, that he was a monster, and that he wasn't human. Hojo had made him. Probably in one of those capsules with the other mindless beasts that now roamed the mountains. Now that she wasn't here to tell him otherwise, it was all true. As if her words had been the only things that had kept these thoughts from becoming real. Now that she was gone, it seemed as if his nightmares were spilling over into reality. But it's true. Don't deny your birthright, my son, Jenovah whispered.   
Sephiroth drew back in horror as a shimmery apparition appeared before him. It assumed the shape of a kindly old woman, gray hair neatly tucked into a bun, small round spectacles perched on her small nose. Her eyes were surrounded with creases brought on by smiles and laughter. The eyes themselves radiated peace and calm. A shawl was draped over her tiny frame, and she leaned heavily on a cane.  
"W-what...is this..." Sephiroth stammered.  
The old woman smiled at him. "Don't you recognize me, Sephiroth? It's me, Jenovah. I'm your Mother," she said with a disarming giggle.  
"M-mother...?" he asked incredulously. Almost of its own accord, Sephiroth's hand reached out to touch her. Jenovah took his hand and the apparition distorted for a moment, like a cable program interrupted by a lightning storm. Behind it lurked a black creature, writhing and brimming with evil and cunning. Sephiroth jerked his hand back in terror.  
"Laeryn!" he called out. But now the black thing was gone and Mother was there instead, sitting beside him on the bed. She rested her small frail hand on Sephiroth's shoulder. The first thing that Sephiroth noticed was how cold her hand was. It felt a chunk of ice was sitting on his shoulder. There was another curious feeling as well; that the hand was writhing around, even though he was looking at it and knew it was still.  
"There there, my son. Don't worry. Did you see something that frightened you? I won't let it hurt you if you listen to your Mother. And I know you will, because you're a good boy," Jenovah said soothingly. It cursed inwardly that it had allowed the illusion to slip, causing Sephiroth to see its true form.  
Sephiroth nodded dumbly.   
"Good boy! Now Mother doesn't like it when you say her name, Sephiroth," Jenovah said a little more firmly. It knew all about Laeryn from its excursions into Sephiroth's mind. It knew what he felt for her. And it also knew that Laeryn was the only thing keeping Sephiroth in control of himself and from becoming its slave.  
"But why, Mother? I love her. Aren't you happy for me?" Sephiroth asked, thoroughly confused.  
Jenovah shook its knobbly finger at him.   
"Mother doesn't approve. You don't want to go against the wishes of your Mother, do you?" it hissed.  
Sephiroth stared at Jenovah. Was his own Mother telling him to turn on Laeryn? That was something he could never do. But he couldn't let Jenovah know that; he didn't want to feel the needles, the ones he had felt when he ran out of the reactor. He nodded.  
"Good boy!" Jenovah exclaimed enthusiastically, patting him on the head, "Now, two more favors for your Mother. Go to the basement of the Shinra mansion and look at the books. You'll find some interesting reading materials there. Reading is good for boys' minds! And once you've finished there, do come visit me in the mountains. I grow awfully lonely up there and would love it if my boy would visit me!" It smiled and clasped its hands excitedly, looking as innocent as possible.  
Sephiroth's confusion had worn off and was rapidly being replaced with annoyance. Why was his Mother treating him like a child, when she knew perfectly well he was twenty-five years old? And where did she get the authority to make decisions for him, where did she get the power to 'approve' or 'disapprove' of his feelings? He gasped suddenly and clutched at his head. It was the needles. It felt like the Hojo's needles, only these slid into his brain instead of his veins. He gritted his teeth and forced himself not to cry out. Needles were his worst fear.  
"Don't question my judgement, Sephiroth. I'm your Mother, I know what's good for you. Now go off and do as your told," Jenovah said sternly. The illusion faltered again and this time Sephiroth could see two orange pinpricks oscillating in the midst of the black thing. He turned and ran out of the room.  
* * *  
"Is Sephiroth at the hotel?" asked Cloud, surveying the town. After the alarming encounter with the Twin Brains, the three had made it back safely.  
"How the hell should I know?" snapped Zack. Even though he and Cloud were friends, Zack never missed the opportunity to make Cloud look stupid; especially in front of a girl like Tifa.   
"Don't even start arguing," she warned, "Why don't you guys go look and see if he's there? I'll look over on the south end of town, by the front gates. And keep an eye out for Laeryn too, okay?" Her voice was laden with worry as she mentioned Laeryn. Zack and Cloud didn't say anything about her; they didn't think she had survived, but didn't want to upset Tifa either. The boys nodded and walked away.  
Zack approached the front desk of the hotel.   
"Excuse me, have you seen the General pass by here?" he inquired of the man behind the desk.  
"Yes sir. He went upstairs, to his room presumably, and then came back down this way about fifteen minutes later. Looked like he was in quite a hurry, too," answered the man.  
How odd, thought Zack, where would Sephiroth possibly be hurrying to?  
"Well, let's go up there anyways. We might find some clue as to where he went," Zack said out loud.  
"You realize he's probably running around in the mountains somewhere looking for Laeryn, right?" said Cloud.  
"Hmmm, I don't know. He seemed pretty eager to get out of the mountains if you ask me. Even without Laeryn," answered Zack, "Let's look in town first. Besides, I'd just as soon not go back up there when it's dark."  
So the search began. Cloud and Zack looked outside first, wandering every street and alleyway of their section of town. Tifa scoured her section just as thoroughly, and with an equal degree of failure. Soon they were knocking on the doors of random houses, asking the residents if they had seen General Sephiroth pass by, and asking the same question of random people on the street. Most had not, but a few awe-struck faces and pointed fingers gave them a general idea. The walked quickly to the north end of town, where people seemed to be pointing the most. They reached the rear gates and only one building remained unturned.  
"The Shinra mansion. That place gives the creeps," shivered Cloud.  
"Yeah well that's where Sephiroth must be. We've looked everywhere else and everyone was pointing this direction," shrugged Zack.  
"I know but it still gives me the creeps," said Cloud with another shiver.  
Nervously the boys approached the iron gates.  
"After you," Zack said, gesturing extravagantly for Cloud to go first.  
"No way. High ranks first," came Cloud's quick reply.  
"Screw it. We'll go at the same time," Zack said resolutely.  
"Okay let's go." The boys pushed on the iron. It was so rusted they had to lean their full weights on it to get it to move. It opened barely enough for them to slip through. Inside, what was once an elaborate garden was now overgrown with weeds and vines and thorns. They picked their way carefully through the untamed foliage, cautiously approaching the mildewed front doors.  
Having approached the house without any type of earth-shattering disaster taking place, Zack quickly regained confidence. He took hold of one of the tarnished brass knockers and shoved the door open.   
Inside, it was dank and smelled of mildew. Huge chandeliers hung from the ceiling but their beauty was obscured by tangles of spider web. Light filtered in through murky windows, highlighting dust motes that swirled about. All the furniture was covered with sheets, presumably to protect it from the damp. What a beautiful house it would be if someone took the time to clean it up and maintain it.  
" 'Kay, we're inside. Now where to, Grand Admiral?" Cloud asked mockingly.  
Zack glared at him. "How 'bout we start with the rooms on each side of us, eh? You take the left, I take the right."  
Despite his bravado, Cloud was still feeling very uneasy about this old abandoned house. It was just like an old haunted house from the ghost stories he heard as a young kid. Even though there was no evidence of supernatural activity, it was still quite unsettling. Cloud pushed his fear aside by focusing on the task at hand. He searched the room far more thoroughly than necessary, looking in chests and under pieces of furniture. Yeah right, he laughed to himself, like Sephiroth would really be hiding under the sofa.   
When he returned to the entry way, Zack was waiting for him.  
"No luck. Let's go upstairs, shall we?" Zack said. Despite his cocky attitude there was as hint of nervousness in his voice.  
Zack and Cloud ascended the elegantly carved staircase. Turning to the left, they found a library with a large safe positioned under the window. They both found it odd to have a safe in such a place and were curious about the nature of its contents. After a moment they concluded that is was probably empty; the formers owners would have taken their valuables with them. There was also a conservatory full of long-dead plants. The dead plants gave them both the creeps and they hastily looked elsewhere. The last room on the left side was a spacious bedroom with two large beds.   
To the right of the stairs was a parlor of some sort, and a sitting room with another door to the right. Through the door was another bedroom, even larger than the first.   
"Where the hell is he?" Zack exclaimed with frustration, "We've searched every room in this house and haven't found him."  
"Uhh Zack? Turn around," Cloud whispered.  
Zack turned. The brick of the back wall of the room had been smashed in. There was a gaping hole behind it. They peered through to see a shaky wooden landing and a narrow staircase spiraling downwards. Cloud gulped audibly.  
"He went down here. Look at this damage to the wall. There's no dust or mildew or anything on it. This is new. He must be down here," Zack whispered, "Cloud, wait here. I... I'll go talk to him. I'm his second-in-command, I think I sort of know him." Cloud nodded. He hadn't been looking forward to the idea of a confrontation with Sephiroth anyways.  
Zack was frightened now. What could possibly be down there that had led someone to brick off the passageway? He cautiously stepped onto the fragile wooden stairs. Some of the steps were already broken and falling through. Possibly from decay, possibly from Sephiroth's hasty descent.  
"Christ, this is worse than that bridge in mountains," Zack cursed. Very slowly he made his way downwards. He was surprised to see dim light pulsing up from the bottom. Sephiroth must've lit torches down here. Ghosts aren't real, Zack told himself firmly  
He breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped off the stairs. He was even more relieved to see that the light had indeed come from torches. After his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he took in his subterranean surroundings.   
Zack was quite surprised and a bit horrified to find himself standing in a crypt of some sort. He could see pieces of partially decayed bodies protruding from the dirt walls, where they had been hastily buried. Most of them were human, but a few appeared to be animals. The ones that really creeped Zack out were those that seemed to be both human and animal. Zack quickly moved his attention away from the walls and stared straight ahead. A glint of metal to the left caught his attention, and he noticed a dark door in the wall. He approached slowly, not wanting to get too close to the various rotting limbs sticking out of the wall. He pulled on the handle. It was locked. Zack continued down the hall without a second thought. Chances are he didn't want to know what was in there anyway.  
The hallway ended with another door a short distance later. Zack tried the handle. This one wasn't locked. Zack gulped loudly and stepped through it. He was quite startled to see Sephiroth standing inside what appeared to be a large library.  
His head was lowered toward a book in his hand and his hair hid his face from view. He paced around the room, reading softly to himself.   
"... an unusual organism was found in a geological stratum. According to carbon dating techniques, the organism was found to be about two thousand years old." That was the first bit that Zack was able to pick up on. Sephiroth trailed off for a while. A few minutes later Zack heard, "... Professor Hojo titled the organism 'Jenovah'"   
More mumbling, then, "... many strongly believe that Jenovah is a Cetra."  
Silence, then, "... the Jenovah project has been approved. The Nibelheim reactor will be used for storage."  
Sephiroth turned and walked partway down a dark hallway that Zack hadn't noticed before. He crept after Sephiroth, curiosity killing him. Sephiroth lowered the book he was reading and looked up and the crusty ceiling. He sighed, and his entire body seemed to sag.  
"The Jenovah Project... my mother's name is Jenovah... is that just a coincidence?" he inquired of the ceiling. He sighed again and Zack was surprised he remained standing.  
Sephiroth lowered his head again. "Hojo... why didn't you tell me anything. You bastard!" he said through clenched teeth. Zack flinched. Curse words somehow sounded much worse coming from Sephiroth than they did from anyone else.  
"Zack," Sephiroth said suddenly. Zack nearly jumped through the ceiling all the way back to the second floor. How long had Sephiroth known he was standing there?  
"Y-yes sir?" he replied, still shaken up.  
"Let me be alone."  
Without another word Zack turned and left the room.  
Sephiroth watched Zack go. Why had Zack even bothered to look for him? It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Laeryn was gone and with her the feelings that reminded him he was human. God, why did she have to be standing in front of Tifa on the bridge? If she'd been standing two steps back, he could have grabbed her arm and held onto her. And now he was alone again. He remembered how upset he'd been when she'd run away from Midgar. Having her simply leave and not come back. But somehow this seemed worse because he had seen her roll down the cliff. A very rough fall. If only she was here right now, he would back at the hotel, in bed with her, instead of pacing around in this accursed library. And tomorrow they would return to Midgar. He suddenly dropped the book he was holding and doubled over clutching his head.  
"Don't get distracted, Sephiroth. Don't think about her. Ever. Keep reading to me. I like the sound of your voice discovering the truth," Jenovah commanded from a small splintery chair. Its illusionary fingers worked busily at knitting. Sephiroth picked up the book.  
* * *  
The sun was sinking and Laeryn was very happy to leave the mountains behind her. Nibelheim was very close now and she would reach it before the sun fully set. She was pleased to leave the wilderness, but anxious about what she would find out upon her return to Nibelheim. What if the villagers were in mourning for Tifa Raye Lockhart, a courageous guide who finally saw her last trip into the mountains? And two boys from Soldier, Zackariah Iain Page and Cloud Skyline Strife. Shinra would have to send letters to their families, no doubt with some lie about the cause of their death.. And the great General Sephiroth, admired the world over. It made Laeryn angry to think how many people would mourn him, and how few actually knew him. All they did was manipulate and use him, she thought bitterly. Tears shrouded her eyes as a sudden gruesome image of Sephiroth's immaculate body broken on jagged rocks popped into her mind. She quickly pushed it away and scolded herself for thinking such a horrible thought. Sephiroth had survived. And so had her friends. She would see them at the hotel when she returned to town. There was nothing to worry about. She fought down another wave of anxiety with a few deep breaths and continued resolutely toward Nibelheim.  
* * *  
"Ya find him?" Cloud asked eagerly.  
"Yeah, he's down there in an old library, reading a bunch of books. He told me to leave him alone. So here I am," shrugged Zack, "It's hella creepy down there. A bunch of nasty stuff sticking out of the walls. But I'll go back down there later to make sure he's okay." Zack sighed and pursed his lips. "This has definitely got to be one of the weirder things that's ever happened to me.  
"I hear ya. I mean... what's wrong with Sephiroth? He never acts like this. He's always totally in control of everything. And now he's like, losing it or something. We should stick around here. I've got a really bad feeling about this whole thing... I don't  
"Me neither. Anyways, it's getting really late. I guess we could sleep on the beds in here; they're all covered with sheets so they shouldn't be too nasty," agreed Zack.  
They entered the smaller of the two bedrooms. Cloud pulled back the white sheet covering one of the beds.   
"Well, the beds seem fine. We shouldn't both sleep at the same time, though. One of us should stand watch in case Sephiroth comes back up here. I'll go stand in that room with the hole in wall. Set your watch alarm and come get me in a few hours," he explained.  
"All right then. Just don't fall asleep," Zack said as he crawled under the covers.  



	11. Rise Above The Flames

Chapter 11: Rise Above the Flames

Chapter 11: Rise Above the Flames

Zack was rudely awakened by a shrill buzzing sound. He flailed around until his hand found his watch, switching off the alarm. He stumbled from the bed and walked down the hall.

"Well Cloud, any sign of him?" Zack asked, his voice hoarse from sleep.

"Nope. Nada. I'm going to bed," yawned Cloud.

Zack rubbed his eyes and leaned against the wall. His attention wandered to the gaping hole opposite where he was standing. What was Sephiroth doing down there? Zack was dying to know. Zack had always been very curious about things, and his curiosity had gotten the better of him on more than a few occasions. He knew he should stay put, but he found himself walking toward the ancient wooden stairway again. He descended the stairs and walked down the hallway, still unnerved by the bodies in the walls. The torchlight danced across them and created an illusion that they were moving. Once again, Zack stared at the door at the end of the hallway. He pushed it open and heard soft, familiar-sounding laughter from inside. There was no mistaking that it was Sephiroth's laugh. Only this time it seemed off-kilter somehow, slightly… demented?

Zack moved down the hall and noticed that many of the books had been pulled off the shelves and lay in untidy stacks on the floor. _Je-sus. How much of this did he read? Talk about speed reading, thought Zack. At the end of the hall was another small room, in the center of which was a wooden table and red armchair. Seated in the chair was Sephiroth, another book in his hand._

"Who is it?" Sephiroth asked quietly, not looking up.

"It's me, sir, Zack," Zack answered, shifting his weight nervously.

"Traitor," Sephiroth muttered, looking at Zack for the first time. Sephiroth's eyes glowed in the dim light. They always glowed, but now the light they emitted was different somehow. 

"T-traitor?" repeated Zack, now confused and more than a little frightened.

Sephiroth rose and tossed his hair back. "You ignorant traitor," he snarled.

Zack took a step back. It felt like Sephiroth's gaze was burning him alive. Something was very wrong.

"I'm sure you've heard of the Cetra, called the Ancients in layman's terms. The Cetra were a nomadic race. They would journey from place to place, never staying in one location for very long. This Planet originally belonged to them. At the end of their long, hard journey the Cetra would find the Promised Land, a place of supreme happiness. 

"As their travels continued, some Cetra grew tired of the itinerant life and deserted their fellows. They built permanent shelters and led an easy life. These traitors took all that the true Cetra and the Planet had suffered for and created without giving one whit in return! _Those are __your ancestors," he explained, his voice laden with derision._

Zack just stood there staring at Sephiroth in disbelief. What had happened to the General to make him act this way?

Sephiroth continued, pacing slow circles around Zack. "Long ago, a great crisis struck this Planet. Your ancestors ran away and hid like the cowards they were. The true Cetra gave their lives to halt the crisis and protect the Planet. Once the crisis had passed, your ancestors emerged from hiding. With the Cetra gone, they were able to multiply like rodents. Now the Cetra are extinct; they exist only in these scientific reports."

Zack nervously twisted his hands together, as his head moved to follow Sephiroth. Zack couldn't help but feel like helpless prey being circled by a creature higher up on the food chain.

"What does all that have to do with you?" Zack blurted, once again cursing his curiosity. Why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut.

"Don't you get it? You were spying on me before. A Cetra, later called Jenovah, was unearthed in an archaeological dig. My Mother's name is Jenovah. Hojo was able to extract DNA from this fossil. He wanted to use this DNA to produce people with powers of the Cetra." Sephiroth paused, drawing a shaky breath. 

"I am what was produced," he whispered. 

Zack was appalled. He recalled Sephiroth's words at the reactor that day. He suddenly understood why the man had become so upset. "P-produced?" Zack ventured.

"Yes. Professor Hojo, leader of the Jenovah Project, produced me," Sephiroth said as he turned to leave.

"What?!? How did he…? Hey Sephiroth! Wait!" Zack called after him.

"Out of my way. I'm going to see Mother," was the last thing Sephiroth said to Zack.

* * *

Laeryn was worried. Zack and Cloud were not at the hotel. The receptionist said they'd stopped by earlier and then left again, looking for Sephiroth. Tifa had gone home shortly after. At least they were alive, but where had they gone to now? It was late and everyone in town was asleep. Could they be at Tifa's? Zack and Cloud might be, but not Sephiroth. A light from the north end of town caught Laeryn's eye. That big building, the Shinra mansion. There was a light on in a room on the second floor

When she reached the mansion, she found the gate open. She plowed through the front yard and barged in. She ran up the stairs and took a right, looking for the source of the light. Someone was asleep in one of the beds. The easily recognizable spiky hair identified the figure as Cloud.

"Cloud! Get up! What's going on?" demanded Laeryn, shaking him.

"Whaaaaa…? Gerroffa me… sleeping," he mumbled.

"Cloud Strife! Get up now! Where is Sephiroth?" she demanded again, hauling him into a sitting position.

"Laeryn? You're alive?" Cloud asked, bewildered.

Laeryn rolled her eyes. 

"Where is Sephiroth?" she asked dangerously, tightening her grip on his lapels.

"He went down to the basement, ask Zack," he answered drowsily.

Laeryn dropped him and ran into the next room. She nearly collided with Zack, who was booking it upstairs. 

"Zack! What's going on?" she asked.

"Laeryn! Christ, we all thought you were dead! Glad to see you! But something's really weird with Sephiroth. When we to the reactor he got all upset, saying stuff about how he was no different from the monsters and how Hojo made him… freaky stuff like that. And then we came back and he locked himself in that basement down there and read like a zillion books. I went to check on him and he started spouting all this crap about how we were all traitors and how he was the only true Cetra and how Hojo made him from Cetra DNA. The he barged out of the place and ran off to see his 'Mother'. Jenovah. He's crackers if you ask me," Zack explained, wide-eyed and white-faced.

Laeryn felt something heavy drop in her stomach. Sephiroth's earlier fears had apparently been valid. Something terrible had happened to him. That whole thing with his 'Mother'… 

A sudden bright light from the window caught their attention. It had awakened Cloud as well, and he came stumbling into the room. 

"What's that light… it shouldn't be light out, it's the middle of the night!" exclaimed Zack, his voice shrill with terror.

"Let's go outside," Laeryn said. She tried to sound determined and in control, but she dreaded what they might find.

They stepped out side and saw nothing but walls of fire. They heat made them sweat and they shielded their eyes from the glare. The entire town of Nibelheim was in flames. Cloud screamed and ran towards the blaze.

"Mom!" he cried desperately.

"Cloud wait!" Zack and Laeryn called after him, but it was futile. Laeryn swallowed hard. This scene was a bit too familiar for her liking. The burning flesh smell and the terrified screams of North Corel were still fresh in her mind, and now it was like the same scene unfolding before her eyes again. She became suddenly nauseous, and her knees nearly gave out.

"Hey Laeryn, you okay?" asked Zack.

"I'm fine. We have to get people out of their homes," she said, forcing down the unpleasant déjà vu.

"Hey! You're still sane right? Get over here and help me!" a man called to them. It was the same man who'd taken their picture earlier that day.

Laeryn and Zack went running to assist him. They leapt through burning debris until they came to a wide intersection that the fire couldn't reach. 

"You guys check that house over there, I'll look in this one!" the man yelled.

Laeryn and Zack entered the house, but didn't get very far before it started collapsing. They dove back outside and beat out smoldering patches on their clothes. Zack wiped sweat from his brow and noticed the confused and distant look on Laeryn's face. He remembered hearing about Shinra's burning of North Corel. No doubt this was calling up some very unpleasant memories for her. Nor was there any doubt in Zack's mind that she was in love with Sephiroth. Chances are she was trying very hard not to think about who set the town on fire.

Zack's thoughts were not far from the mark. Laeryn slumped down and buried her face in her hands. Images of her family and home burning appeared in the flames. And Sephiroth… was he all right? Whoever had set this fire better not have hurt him. Zack knew exactly who started the fire, but didn't tell her.

"There he is!" Zack yelled suddenly.

Sephiroth was visible through a break in the fire, Masamune in hand. Two people ran at him, but he cut them down long before they reached him. He turned at walked away through the flames.

"Sephiroth!" screamed Laeryn. She jumped up and ran after him. 

"Laeryn, don't! He's dangerous now," Zack called after her, to no avail.

Laeryn reached the bodies of the two men Sephiroth had just killed, but was unable to go any further because of the flames blocking her path.

Sephiroth continued walking through the flames, barrier materia shielding him from the heat. He didn't look back.

"Good work, Sephiroth. They were all traitors. As you now know, you and I are the true rulers of this Planet. We'll take the Planet back from these miserable fools. We'll find the Promised Land, Sephiroth, you and I. We'll find supreme happiness!" Jenovah exclaimed excitedly, waving its ghostly cane in the air, "Now go on up the reactor, my boy, and visit me!"

Sephiroth was aware that his limbs were moving. He was aware of the blood and entrails dripping from his sword. He remembered uttering a soft word and watching the town explode. But he didn't do it. He hadn't wanted to. He closed his eyes, tried to force his hands to loosen their grip on Masamune, tried to clench his jaw shut and keep from using his materia. But he couldn't do any of it. Terror like he'd never known before filled Sephiroth's mind as he realized he no longer had control of his own body. 

Sephiroth didn't know who it was that suddenly controlled his limbs like he was a marionette. He didn't understand why _he had been chosen to suffer yet another torment. Hadn't he suffered enough already? Now that the last vestiges of control and freedom were being evicted from his life by some strange force, Sephiroth wished he could die. He'd probably be damned to Hell for taking the lives of all the people of Nibelheim, but whatever punishment he'd receive in the afterlife couldn't possibly worse than what he was experiencing now._

Terrible guilt gnawed at Sephiroth's soul. Close to ten thousand people resided in Nibelheim. Now they were all dead by his hand. The thought of destroying an entire town had never crossed his mind; he heard Jenovah telling him how those people were traitors and unfit to live, and suddenly he felt his mouth move and heard his voice casting a powerful fire spell. Then he saw a terrible explosion and heard Jenovah's saccharine-sweet voice whispering words of praise in his ear.

Then he had watched as his hands defied the commands of his brain; they gripped Masamune and used the mighty blade slaughter innocent people. Sephiroth screamed in protest, trying vainly to regain power over his limbs. His efforts were futile as Jenovah's gentle requests echoed in his ears… _These people deserve to die because they betrayed you, Sephiroth. So you are going to destroy them now…do not allow any of them to escape; kill those two running at you now. And so he had. _

* * *

Laeryn stopped calling after Sephiroth, realizing he couldn't hear her anyway over the roar of fire. Zack ran up behind her and tapped her the shoulder. 

"Where's Cloud?" he asked, brows furrowed with worry.

"Jesus, I forgot all about him," was Laeryn's only response as she ran past Zack.

Cloud lay among the ruins of his house, barely conscious. His mother's body lay beside him. Fire raged all around him. The house was collapsing, but he was too weak to get up. His only thoughts had been of saving his mother. He tried to carry her badly burned form out of the house, but collapsed from the heat and smoke. Now he lay gazing at her face, twisted and distorted by burns. It dawned on him that she had died some time ago, and that his efforts had been in vain. Tears ran down his face, cutting channels through layers of ash on his cheeks as his consciousness left him.

"That's his house, right there!" Zack yelled urgently, pointing.

"It's falling apart. We'll have to move quickly. Let's go," said Laeryn.

The two bolted through the entry and saw Cloud lying on the ground beside a corpse. Laeryn reeled back at the site, knowing the corpse was Cloud's mother. It looked disturbingly similar to her own mother, after Shinra had burned her. Laeryn's memories began to take over her rational thought as the nightmares she worked so hard to suppress rose to the surface. She let out a muffled scream and ran out of the house. 

Zack didn't try to stop her. He grabbed Cloud and hauled him to his feet. Cloud regained consciousness, and began sobbing incoherently. Zack pulled Cloud's arm around his shoulders and dragged the smaller boy out of the house moments before the roof caved in. He saw Laeryn a short distance away, staring at the sky, forcing unwanted memories into submission.

"Are you all right?" Zack asked.

Laeryn nodded. "I'm fine. What about him?"

"Alive, at least. Let's get out of here," Zack murmured, "We need to find Sephiroth."

Laeryn immediately became attentive at the mention of Sephiroth.

"Where is he? He's not still in this town, is he?" she demanded.

"No, he left. I suspect he went up to the reactor," Zack answered. He was not looking forward to telling Laeryn about what happened.

Zack quickened his pace to follow her as she ran towards the mountains. 

Cloud had recovered to a point where he could walk, but he was still not well. Shaken and grief-stricken, he was in no shape to be attempting the dangerous climb into the mountains. 

"Zack, he's not going to make it to the top," Laeryn stated when they reached the base of the caves, "You stay here with him and I'll find the reactor."

Zack shook his head. "You don't know where the reactor is. You fell off the bridge. I'll have to show you the way," he pointed out.

Laeryn knew Zack was right. She had no idea where the reactor was. "All right, then. Let's get going."

They made slow progress through the mountains, making frequent stops. 

"Maybe Cloud could just stay here, by this Mako fountain. Animals won't come near it," suggested Laeryn. Cloud wasn't looking any better.

"No…" Cloud gasped, "I must avenge my mother's death. I must find him."

"Find who, Cloud? Do you know who did this?" Laeryn asked intently.

Zack grated his teeth. This was going to very hard on her. Cloud was probably the worst person to break the news to her. He was not known for being particularly tactful.

"That… that monster… I thought he was amazing… I wanted to be just like him, I spent my life idolizing him, until now! I hate him!" sobbed Cloud.

Laeryn swallowed hard. She didn't like where this was going. "Sephiroth?" she suggested carefully. Zack and Cloud both nodded. Laeryn froze, eyes wide, completely unsure of how to react to what she just heard.

"Are you sure? Did you actually _see him set the town on fire? Or are you just making irrational accusations?" Laeryn demanded suspiciously. Zack was about to reply, when a stream of small rocks came tumbling down beside him. He cursed; this was the worst possible time to be attacked by animals. _

Instead of a creature, they were quite relieved to see a familiar brown-haired girl jump down in front of them. Laeryn's confusion was interrupted with happiness at the fact that her friend was still alive.

"Tifa! You're safe!" she exclaimed.

Tifa nodded dumbly. "Yes, but I couldn't save my dad… I was at my martial arts lesson when the fire started, and I couldn't get home in time." She trailed off, bravely fighting tears that formed in her eyes. After taking a moment to compose herself, she continued, "Apparently, my house was near the starting point of the fire. When I got there all that was left were some charred remains. So I fled into the mountains, the place I know best, for safety. And I came up here to the Mako fountain because I find it comforting somehow, because it's so pretty." 

Tifa drew a deep breath and set her jaw firmly. Her iron-studded fists clenched as she declared, "My father's death will not go unavenged!"

She looked over at Zack. "He went to the reactor, didn't he?" she asked.

Zack nodded. Her eyes glanced over to Cloud, and she promptly did a double take.

"Cloud!" she exclaimed, "When did _you get here?"_

"I've been here all along… I was wearing my helmet before," he admitted.

"Riiiiight. Well as glad as I am to see you, this no time for small talk. Let's go." Tifa set off at a ferocious pace.

Laeryn hung back a bit until she walked beside Zack.

"Zack. Is that really true? Did he destroy the town?" Laeryn whispered. She knew what the answer was, and it terrified her, but she knew better than to run from the truth.

"It's true, Laeryn. Sephiroth burned Nibelheim. Now Cloud and Tifa are hell-bent on killing him," Zack said softly.

Laeryn bit her lip. "Zack… it's not really him, though! It can't be. He wouldn't do something like that. It's Jenovah. Jenovah makes him do these things," Laeryn answered in an urgent whisper.

"Laeryn, I'm sorry. I know how much you care about him. But he killed thousands of innocent people," Zack said a bit more firmly.

Laeryn's temper immediately flared in defense of Sephiroth. It wasn't him; it was Jenovah. But of course no one was going to believe her.

"Zack! Did you not understand what I just said?!? _It's not his fault! It was Jenovah!" Laeryn retorted angrily, raising her voice. _

Tifa turned and looked questioningly at them, but quickly refocused on the path ahead.

* * *

Zack, Cloud, Tifa, and Laeryn stood just outside the reactor. 

"He's in there, I know he is," stated Cloud. His never-ending quest to impress Tifa had given him some extra strength, and now he was feeling more resolute than ever."Let's go. Zack, Cloud…" Tifa trailed off as she looked at Laeryn. She suddenly remembered how deeply Laeryn loved Sephiroth. Tifa felt a wave of sympathy for her friend, knowing that her pain must easily equal theirs.

Laeryn shook her head. "I'll wait out here. I don't care what's happened. I can't hurt him. I promised him I would protect him. And I failed…" She turned away so that no one would see her crying. Tifa bit her lip and sighed. She walked over to Laeryn and gave her a quick hug.

"I'm so sorry. I wish it didn't have to turn out this way. But I have to do this. And so does Cloud," she said.

"I know. Nothing I say will convince you otherwise. Go," Laeryn whispered without turning around. 

As Tifa, Zack, and Cloud walked into the reactor, Laeryn broke down completely, sobbing unabashedly for the first time since the death of her family.

* * * 

Sephiroth made his way into the heart of the reactor. He remembered where Jenovah was kept from his previous visit there. He walked up the stairs to the black door. His mouth moved. "Mother, I'm here. Open this door, please" were the words that came out. Obediently the black door slid open with a hiss. The room beyond was dim and misty. Control panels lined the walls, while glass pods filled with various organic looking things stood below them. A giant metal statue dominated the room. The statue was a female form, and a giant control panel monitoring life support readings covered its chest. Two LEDs had been place in its eye sockets, and they glowed eerily, filling the room with soft orange light. Its arms were outspread in a twisted version of a welcoming gesture. Above its head was inscribed the word 'Jenovah'.

The sight of the statue's orange electric eyes caused Sephiroth to suddenly remember the black form he saw when he first met Jenovah, back in the hotel room. Fear hit him like a tidal wave. He took several steps back and looked around, disoriented. _Why am I at the reactor again? Where's Laeryn? What's wrong with me? He stood there confused, a strained expression on his face as he remembered, little by little, the events that had taken place while he was possessed by Jenovah. He remembered the library, and reading some books about Professor Hojo and the experiments he conducted… and the there was a fire, and a lot of innocent people died. It was his fault. _

"No! Why are you making me do these things!" Sephiroth yelled as he ran for the door. He got about halfway there before all of muscles tensed painfully, and he collapsed in a miserable heap on the floor.

"Don't you ever, ever, try to disobey your Mother like that again, Sephiroth. You do exactly as I say. Now get up, come over here, and get me out of this thing," snarled Jenovah.

Sephiroth suddenly found himself standing in front of the statue. One of his feet braced against the base while his hands reached up and grasped its head. Sephiroth pulled hard. With a grating, screeching sound, the metal gave way under Sephiroth's tremendous strength. He tossed the severed metal head aside and proceeded to tear apart the rest of the statue. 

Inside the statue stood a metal tube. It contained a monster far more hideous than those outside. It looked nothing like the protective statue that covered it. The monster was humanoid in form. Its body was thin and rotted, its skin a sickly yellow shade. Each hand had an indistinct number of fingers; some were cut off or rotted away, and those that were left were twisted every possible direction. Its face was hideous; a lipless mouth gaped wide to reveal row upon row of tiny sharp teeth. It had no nose, only long slits in its face. The eyes glowed the same orange color as the statue's, only their light was not from LEDs. Streams of thin gray hair trailed from its skull, floating of their own will in the formaldehyde. Numerous tubes and wires ran into its sallow skin.

"Sephiroth," Jenovah whispered, "Please get me out, my son. I don't like it in here." 

Sephiroth's arm tore the lid off the tube, reached inside, and grabbed the stringy gray hair. He began to pull, as he had done with the statue. It didn't take nearly as long for him to decapitate this decaying organic monster. 

Sephiroth's hands maintained a tight grip on the gruesome head, which dripped formaldehyde and dark black blood. The body twitched and floated, as lifeless as ever without its head.

"Thank you so much for freeing me, Sephiroth. Now we can truly rule the Planet together. Let us begin our quest. The usual routine; I give orders, you obey without question. It is one of the Ten Commandments after all. That children should obey their parents," Jenovah whispered. 

* * *

Tifa leapt ahead of Zack and Cloud, sliding down chains and bolting across the bridge.

"Hey Tifa, you shouldn't run ahead like that. It's really dangerous. Sephiroth could be lurking around any corner," Cloud cautioned.

Tifa glared at him. "Oh and what are you gonna do if he is? Protect me?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. Cloud's face reddened and he gave her a very nasty look.

"_Please don't argue, you two. I understand you're both very upset and looking for someone to take it out on. But Sephiroth is our enemy, not each other," Zack said calmly._

Tifa looked sheepish for a moment, then continued her mad descent to the reactor's core. 

Tifa reached the entrance to the core, noting all the open doors. _Zack was right. Either he's here, or he just left and didn't bother to close the doors, she thought. Her speculation was ended when she looked up and saw Sephiroth standing at the top of the stairs, a putrid-smelling severed head in his right hand, Masamune in his left. This was it. She couldn't screw up now._

"Sephiroth!" she called out boldly, "You bastard! How could you do that to my father and all of the townspeople?!? I'll kill you!"

Sephiroth's eyes regarded her calmly, and as she ran toward him Masamune reared up and slashed across the front of her body, from her right hip to her left shoulder. Tifa realized she had been defeated, and as she tumbled back down the stairs her eyes glared at Sephiroth with red hatred.

"Tifa! No!" Zack yelled as he ran into the room. He dashed over to her, relieved to see that she was still alive. She was rapidly losing blood, but she would live. Zack ignored Sephiroth for the moment and concentrated hard on using his Restore materia to slow the bleeding. After several tries he was successful. He carefully moved Tifa off to one side, leaning her against one of the capsules, trying to make her as comfortable as possible.

"Hang in there, Tifa. I know you will. I'll be back soon and we'll get you to a doctor," he reassured her, even though she was now unconscious from lack of blood.

Sephiroth had seen what had just happened. He stared at his blood-stained sword in horror, unable to believe that he had just done something so awful. Tifa had done nothing but help him since he arrived. And he had repaid her by nearly killing her. Once again, Sephiroth tried to relinquish his grip on Masamune. He wanted to drop his sword and let Zack kill him. That would be far preferable to living as a slave and puppet to some other being. Because his DNA and blood contained Jenovah's cells, it was inextricably a part of him, and Jenovah could therefore control him as if he were an extension of its own body. Jenovah was always in his mind, supervising his every thought and action. 

Sephiroth was thoroughly cowed by this new demonstration of Jenovah's power over him. It was one thing to make him kill people with whom he had no association, but Tifa was a friend of his, and a friend of Laeryn's. It dawned on him that Jenovah could easily command him to kill Laeryn, if it got the idea into its head. That is, if Laeryn wasn't already dead among the wreckage of Nibelheim. He doubted she was; she had a knack for getting herself out of life-threatening situations like that, and appearing right on cue as he was about to lose hope. _Well, then she ought to be showing up any time now, he thought, sincerely hoping she would. Whatever Jenovah was, Sephiroth was fairly confident that Laeryn could defeat it, especially if she was in one of her violently over-protective moods. Sephiroth's body spasmed from a sudden needle of pain in his head._

"Enough, Sephiroth. I find it very annoying that your thoughts continually dwell on her and not on our plan. I'll make you kill her, you know. Slowly and painfully, so you hear her voice screaming for you to make it quick. Hmm, I can just imagine some of things she'll be saying…" Jenovah hissed nastily. She was acting less and less like his Mother and more like a jealous rival girl.

"Shut up, you bitch," snarled Sephiroth. He threw the head against a wall. Part of its skin disintegrated from the impact. Once again he turned to leave. His limbs felt like they were being made of lead, and they were rapidly getting heavier and heavier. Was there truly no escape from this monster's control? 

"Don't think you can just walk away from me. Ever. You disobeyed your Mother, Sephiroth. I'll see to it that you burn in Hell for that," Jenovah screeched, "Now get over here and carry me!"

Zack just stared at Sephiroth as this strange sight unfolded before his eyes. It appeared that Sephiroth was fighting against his own mind. At one point Zack heard him yell something at an opponent that wasn't there. Then Sephiroth attempted to walk toward him, only to stop, turn around and pick up the severed head he had thrown against the wall moments earlier. The strained, angry expression on Sephiroth's face made it clear to Zack that he was struggling for control of something. His own body? Surely not, that was ridiculous. Suddenly Laeryn's words flashed in his mind: _It's not his fault. Jenovah makes him do it. No longer did that seem totally far-fetched. _

Sweat was beading on Sephiroth's forehead from the strain of his brief mental battle with Jenovah, which he ultimately ended up losing. Now he approached Zack, Masamune raised to strike. Every cell in Sephiroth's body cried out against this; Zack was his second-in-command in Soldier, an important person and one of the few people he could trust. How many more of his friends would Jenovah make him kill? Zack raised his broadsword to parry, but Masamune effortlessly knocked it aside. Tears formed in Sephiroth's eyes at the knowledge that Zack would be forced to die at his hand. As Masamune swept in for the killing blow, Sephiroth exerted every ounce of strength and turned the blade so Zack was struck with blunt edge instead. It was a powerful blow nonetheless, and Zack crumpled to the ground.

* * *

Laeryn regarded the door, carefully weighing the decision whether or not to enter. She wanted to free Sephiroth from whatever it was that had control of him, and then convince the others that he was not the one to be blamed. On the other hand, she had no idea how she was going to carry out this plan. Whatever had a hold on Sephiroth might kill her easily, or possess her the way it had him. She would be no good to him dead. And then there were friends whose lives were also in danger. She wanted both them and Sephiroth out of harm's way, but knew that would be a very difficult thing to accomplish. _I guess I'll just have to make it up as I go along, she thought and entered the reactor. _

Laeryn hadn't gotten very far in before she spotted Sephiroth. He was advancing on Cloud, Masamune raised. In his other hand he held something unpleasant-looking. They were positioned on a bridge that spanned a chasm that plunged to the center of the Planet. The Lifestream, raw Mako energy, frothed below.

As Laeryn ran towards the scene, Sephiroth lifted his sword and shoved it through Cloud's midsection. Laeryn screamed in protest. Sephiroth heard and turned his head to see her approaching. His eyes filled with tears again, knowing that he would be unable to explain or apologize to her for what had happen. He was afraid she would leave him after what he had done. He certainly deserved to be abandoned, and he certainly wasn't worthy of Laeryn. 

Sephiroth glanced up and saw Laeryn running toward the bridge. He only had to look at her a moment to see that his fears were unjustified; she didn't look angry at all. Her normally pale skin was dark and smudged from soot and the clothes he bought her were dirty and torn. On her face, he could see thin white lines of her skin showing through the grime. She had been crying. 

Sephiroth's thoughts had distracted him; he was aware that he was being pushed backward, toward the edge of the bridge. Cloud had somehow managed to shove him backwards. He tried to move his feet to get a better hold, but Jenovah held them firmly in place.

"Let him push you into the Lifestream, my son. Then you and I will grow more powerful than ever. And maybe _she will try to follow. I hope so; all that pure Mako energy would give her quite a painful death," Jenovah commanded. So Sephiroth's feet didn't move. As he stumbled over the edge, he lost his grip on Masamune and the sword went spinning downward. _

Laeryn saw Sephiroth lose his balance and dove forward. She slipped on Cloud's blood and landed hard on her stomach, barely grabbing Sephiroth's hand. She crawled up to the edge to look down at Sephiroth. His eyes were wide with fear and confusion, his brow furrowed, and he looked at her pleadingly. He wrestled with Jenovah's control for a few moments and spoke to her, "Laeryn I l…"

She interrupted him. "Sephiroth, reach up with your other hand and grab my arm. I can't hold you up for much longer." She kept her voice calm and steady for his sake, but inside she was bordering on panic. The Lifestream bubbled below Sephiroth, and as much Mako energy had been injected into veins throughout the course of his life, chances are he wouldn't survive exposure to such a high dosage. 

Sephiroth's brief moment of control was quickly squelched by Jenovah, who held his arm and jaws firmly in place. He could do nothing but look up at her with apologetic, tear-filled eyes as his hand slipped out of hers and he fell. 

Laeryn frantically grabbed at him, trying to gain another hold, but he was already well past her reach. She sat back, feeling numb, the reality of what just happened still sinking in.

"No…" she murmured, "That can't happen. Things can't work out like this…"

More tears overtook her as she absorbed the full meaning of his departure. "I broke my promise…" she sobbed, "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me… I love you, Sephiroth."

In the next room, Zack groaned as he regained consciousness. There was a sizable lump on the side of his head from where Sephiroth had struck him. Zack rose shakily to his feet, feeling very lucky that he would come away from this confrontation with nothing but a bump on the head. Tifa was still slumped against one of the capsules, out cold. Zack approached and examined her. The wound was beginning to close, but blood still oozed slowly from several spots. Once again, Zack directed his strength toward a cure spell for her. After he succeeded casting the spell, the wound closed fully and Tifa came to.

"Ugggghhhh…" she moaned, "What the hell… am I dead? What happened?"

"You're not dead. You're extremely lucky. Sephiroth cut you with his sword, but you survived. You did pass out, though. I'm not sure what happen to either Sephiroth or Cloud," Zack explained to her. 

"Well, let's go find them," she said, attempting to stand. Her legs were weak and she leaned heavily against the wall. 

"Don't stand up so quickly! You lost a lot of blood so your limbs are weak. Move slowly," Zack said.

Tifa took his advice and edged gradually down the stairs, sometimes leaning on Zack to steady herself. Once they reached the bridge, they were confronted with a gruesome sight. Cloud's body lay in lake of blood and entrails, nearly cut in two. Laeryn lay curled a short distance away, crying softly. Tifa gasped in horror and turned away from the gore for a moment, fighting down nausea from the sight of it. Once she composed herself, she approached the body and identified it as Cloud, his blue eyes now dull with death and staring blankly at the ceiling. Tifa closed them and sighed shakily. This was whole situation was becoming more and more nightmarish.

"That's Cloud, isn't it?" Zack asked softly.

Tifa nodded. Zack turned away in anguish. Cloud had been one of his best friends. Tifa turned her attention to Laeryn, who hadn't even looked up at them. She knelt beside her.

"Are you going to be all right? Can you tell us what happened?" Tifa gently inquired of Laeryn.

"Sephiroth stabbed Cloud and then Cloud pushed him over the edge, into the Lifestream. I grabbed his hand, but I couldn't hold on…" she trailed off, he voice scarcely above a whisper. 

"I'm sorry, Laeryn. I really am," Tifa whispered. She had overheard what Laeryn said earlier about Jenovah controlling Sephiroth. After seeing the chamber inscribed with 'Jenovah', and Sephiroth's facial expression as he sliced her, she couldn't help but wonder if there had been some merit to Laeryn's words after all. 

Zack approached them, his face stained with tears now as well.

"Let's go," he murmured as he helped a still-crying Laeryn to her feet.

"Where can we go?" demanded Tifa, "You have a job to return to back in Midgar. Laeryn and I don't even have homes anymore."

"Come with me to Midgar. I'm sure you can find some kind of work there. And Laeryn, don't worry about Shinra anymore; he's got much more serious things to worry about now," said Zack.

Laeryn, Tifa, and Zack slowly walked out of the reactor, each having lost that which was most valuable to them.

"Pardon me 

_While I burst into flames._

_I've had enough of this world_

_And its people's mindless games._

_So pardon me while I burn_

_And rise above the flames._

_Pardon me, pardon me,_

_But I'll never be the same"._

End Book I


	12. Leave But Don't Leave Me

Stray Bullet ****

Stray Bullet

__

"I have come to rock your world.

I have come to shake your faith.

Anathematized anarchist,

I have come to take my place.

I am your apocalypse,

I am your belief unwrought.

Monolithic juggernaut,

I'm the illegitimate son of God

Book 2

Chapter 12: Leave But Don't Leave Me

5 Years Later

President Shinra was feeling awfully pleased with himself that he had finally gotten the whole Nibelheim situation straightened out. It had been five years, and his cover-up was working splendidly. No one suspected anything. Shinra's only real regret about the whole thing was Sephiroth's disappearance. No one knew exactly what happened to him; he was presumed dead, but there wasn't any proof of that speculation. He went ahead and made the announcement that the former General was dead anyway, though, wanting to alleviate tabloid rumors and wild theories. Even though the entire thing had cleaned up rather nicely, it still irritated him that the public was much less interested in his company now that his silver-haired mascot was gone. 

The Shinra mansion was the only building in Nibelheim that had survived the fire, and the President turned it over to Professor Hojo. Hojo had requested its use for some of his experiments. He was continuing his research with Jenovah, and even though the organism had been moved to a high-security laboratory in Midgar, Hojo preferred a more secluded location for his next set of experiments. Nibelheim had its downside, however. The mutated animals that Hojo had made years earlier still roamed the place and were interfering with his work. He complained to President Shinra about it, requesting that a Soldier be sent out to help him. 

Shinra had listened, and now the new General of Soldier stood before him, punctual as always, far more so than Sephiroth had ever been.

"Mr. President," the new General acknowledged, bowing his head slightly. 

"Ahh, hello Mr. Page. I've a new assignment for you. How would you feel about returning to Nibelheim?" grinned Shinra.

Zack blanched visibly at the mention of Nibelheim. Shinra had always been hush-hush about Nibelheim since the incident five years earlier, and Zack was surprised to hear him mention it so brazenly. Zack abhorred the idea of setting foot in that place again; the terrible memories were still fresh in his mind. But he knew that Shinra didn't really care what Zack's feelings were toward returning to Nibelheim anyway, so he answered affirmatively.

"Very well, sir, if that's what you require of me," Zack answered.

"Professor Hojo is doing some work over there, and he's called me every day for the past week and half complaining about how the monsters and interfering with his experiments. He wants you to go keep them at bay," Shinra explained.

"Serves him right. He was the one who put them there in first place," retorted Zack. Zack's mouth had only gotten bigger since his promotion. 

Shinra gave him a glare. "Be that as it may, you are leaving for Nibelheim tomorrow morning. Dismissed!"

Zack left the room, slamming the door behind him. Zack had been immediately promoted to General upon his return to Midgar. He'd been happy about it at first, but the novelty quickly wore off and he began to understand why Sephiroth had so detested President Shinra and his son. In Zack's eyes, being the General basically meant being the President's errand boy. All he'd done for the past five years were routine tasks and stupid little chores. Wutai had been the last country to oppose Shinra's rule, so there was really no point in having an army now anyway. The only good things about the job were the eye-popping salary and the luxurious apartment. Zack even hated the white uniform he had to wear. He'd considered simply not wearing it and picking out his own outfit as Sephiroth had done, but doubted he'd be able to get away with it. He wasn't quite as intimidating as Sephiroth. 

Zack unlocked the door to his apartment and hastily removed the white uniform. If he'd known Shinra was like this all along, he never would have joined the army. Zack couldn't even believe the outrageous cover-up Shinra had instituted for the Nibelheim incident. Shinra had simply ordered a team of workers in to rebuild the town, exactly as it had been. He then recruited a group of volunteers and paid them exorbitant sums of money on a regular basis to live there and act as if nothing strange had ever happened. He got away with it because every single person who had lived in Nibelheim before, with the exception of Tifa, was dead. Zack, of course, knew the truth. He knew better than to tell anyone, knowing that Shinra would have him killed the moment the words left his lips. So there was nothing he could do but simmer with resentment and marvel at the sheer ludicrousness of the whole scheme. 

* * *

The following day Zack found himself in the back of a cargo truck, sitting on a crate. The whole seen was eerily familiar to him. The déjà vu was so strong that he actually looked around expecting to see Cloud and Sephiroth before he caught himself and remembered that they were dead. Zack clutched his broadsword tightly as the truck rumbled to a halt in front of Nibelheim. Zack wordlessly stepped out of the truck and stared stupefied at the scene before him. Nibelheim was there again. It looked as if it had never been gone to begin with. The tall white gate at the entrance loomed before him just as it had five years ago. Inside he could see the huge well that supplied water to the entire town. The mountains loomed in the distance, and they looked no less ominous than they had five years ago. Zack shuddered. This was by far the creepiest thing he had ever seen. He swallowed back his uneasiness and stepped through the gates. The paid residents of Nibelheim turned and looked at him for a few moments before going about their business. A few girls gave him longer stares, but soon their attention was diverted elsewhere as well. That was another one of the few perks of his new job; girls paid more attention to him now. 

Zack walked through the town, trying not to look around. Flames and screams filled his memories whenever he did. The Shinra mansion loomed at the opposite end of town, looking even worse than Zack remembered. He wasn't really afraid of it anymore; having walked around inside, he knew there was nothing overly creepy about it. 

Zack explored the house again, looking for Hojo. He saw a few personal items scattered in the second floor bedroom. _That was the same bed that Cloud and I slept in five years ago, _Zack thought, fighting a sudden chill. He ventured into the room next door, and saw that the hole Sephiroth smashed in the brick wall was still there. The stairway, however, had been partially rebuilt and reinforced, allowing easier access to the basement. Lighting had been put in along the stairs, and in the basement below. Zack went down to the basement again. He was a little more confident now that he knew the stairs wouldn't collapse, but his bolt of confidence was shattered when he saw the walls. The same corpses still protruded from the walls, now in a more advanced state of decayed. They rattled Zack's nerves every bit as much as they had five years ago. Reaching the end of the hallway, he knocked on the door. A nasally voice came from the other side, "Who is it?"

"General Zackariah Page of Soldier. President Shinra sent me here," Zack answered. Another thing he disliked about his job; having to use his full name all the time.

The door in front of him creaked open just far enough to reveal a couple of bony fingers, some stringy hair, and a beady black eye. 

"Wait at the bottom of the stairs," the nasally voice commanded. Zack did as he was told. 

A few minutes later, a small bony man approached Zack. 

"I am Professor Hojo," he said extending his claw-like hand to Zack. Zack shook it reluctantly and noted that shaking Hojo's hand was akin to holding a dead fish. 

"What is that you require of me, sir?" asked Zack.

"Keep the monsters out of the house at night. They come in here sometimes and cause a ruckus. It disturbs my experiments. We can't have that," pouted Hojo, scrubbing his thick spectacles on his stained white lab coat. Zack was rather disturbed to see a multitude of dark stains marring the white of Hojo's coat; Zack's mind reeled as he thought of what they could be. 

"Very well then. I can stand guard down here each night," said Zack.

"No, no. You can't come down here at all. You shouldn't even be down here now. You must never go into that room and disturb my experiments. Do whatever you need to keep the monsters out, but _do not_ go into that room!" yelled Hojo, his soft nasal tone taking on surprising volume. Hojo hadn't realized that he had done exactly the opposite of what he intended; by forbidding Zack from entering the room, he had pretty much guaranteed that the new General would be snooping around there at some point. Zack's insatiable curiosity was the same as always, and he immediately wanted to know what was in that room.

"As you wish. I'll stay upstairs then," said Zack as he returned to the second floor.

As Zack unpacked his things in the room next to Hojo's, he ran through all kinds of ideas as to what the room might contain. Many of them were quite disgusting, but some were quite inviting. _Maybe Hojo's hoarding money down there, or materia,_ thought Zack excitedly, _or maybe tons of food, which is why the monsters are trying to get in. But then again maybe he's got all sorts of weird mutants living in there…_

Zack's conscience and common sense loudly argued against his curiosity. He _knew_ he should stay out of that room, do his job, and peacefully return to Midgar in a few days. But not surprisingly, that rational part of Zack's mind lost the argument and he quickly began devising a plan to sneak down there when Hojo was asleep. 

* * *

Hojo didn't go to bed until a surprisingly late hour, and Zack had spent the rest of afternoon mindlessly wandering the mansion and town. He wondered who lived in Cloud and Tifa's houses now. Now that the eccentric Professor had finally retired Zack was free to prowl about the house, "looking for monsters". To put Hojo at ease, Zack had circled the house and kept away from the stairs for nearly an hour and half. After that he began to wander closer and closer to them, until he stood staring at the smashed wall. Before taking the first step onto the stairs, his common sense made one last objection, which was quickly overruled. Zack carefully descended, stepping lightly to minimize the creaking. 

It seemed like an eternity had passed by the time he reached the bottom. Zack ducked into the shadows and stayed still for nearly five minutes before feeling confident that Hojo hadn't heard anything. Making his way to the end of the hall, Zack put his hand on the door. He wasn't surprised to find that it was locked. Fortunately, he had prepared for such an occasion and pulled out his pocket knife. He extended the smallest and thinnest of the blades and jiggled it into the lock. After a few minutes he was rewarded with a 'click'. Taking a deep breath to calm his jittery nerves, Zack pushed the door open. The library was nothing like he remembered it. It had been cleaned up a great deal, and it appeared that the books had been catalogued. A large table had been set up in the main room, and it was covered with pages of notes. The lighting was very strange; it came from the smaller room down the hall, and it was a bright green color. _Mako energy. He's doing something with Mako,_ thought Zack. He was suddenly a bit afraid, remembering the Mako-drenched creatures at the reactor. He peered at the notes, barely able to make out Hojo's small sloppy writing in the dim green light. Much of what he saw appeared to be equations of some sort, but finally a page of letters caught his attention. Zack reeled back in horror at what he read:

_Jenovah Project, Phase II. Cloning._

Initial test subject has been lost, presumed dead. This is irrelevant as I 

Still have possession of initial test subject's DNA. Hair. Blood. Fingernails. Semen. DNA successfully extracted. First clones failures, though. Grossly mutated, to a point where it affected their survival. They were lost. Second group more successful. Humanoid. Survival achieved, but weak and of substandard intelligence. Released. Third group shows more promise. Distinctly human. Survival likely. Strength and intelligence likely. Ready for extraction. 

Zack dropped the sheet of paper in horror. Hojo was making human clones? Clones of… Sephiroth? Zack looked cautiously at the green glow from the hallway. The clones must be kept down there. Zack swallowed and slowly walked down the hall. A giant cylinder came into view, filled with Mako. When Zack's eyes adjusted to the brightness of it, he peered inside. He clasped a hand over his mouth to stifle a scream and reeled back, nearly tripping over a large red armchair. 

Inside the tube floated a blond boy with large, round blue eyes. His mouth and nose were covered with some sort of breathing apparatus. Even so, there was no mistaking his appearance.

"Cloud?!?" Zack said out loud, "What the hell… you died… I saw your body, you were cut in two!" 

The blue eyes blinked calmly at him. Zack's breathing sped up with fear. This was so incredibly wrong… Yet if the boy in the tube really was Cloud, Zack couldn't just leave him. He had to help his friend. 

__

Zack approached the tube and examined the control panel at its base. The first bar read "Mako Energy Level". Zack cautiously slid it all the way to the left. There was a soft whirring sound as the green glow grew dimmer until it nearly vanished. There were numerous other switches on the panel, none of which made sense to Zack, except one. That one was clearly labeled in large red letters, "Open/Close Capsule". He flipped the switch and the glass on the front of the tube slid open with a hiss. The boy inside hung limply against one of the walls, unconscious without the Mako energy to support him. Zack carefully reached inside a pulled the long breathing tube out of the boy's throat. The boy gagged, but didn't come to. 

"All right Cloud, if that's who you really are, time to get outta here," Zack whispered.

He wrapped the unconscious boy in his white coat before tossing him over his shoulder and making for the front door of the mansion. Once he was outside the house, Zack had to stop and rest. The boy, while fairly small, was quite a burden to carry. Once he regained his breath, Zack continued scurrying through the dark streets of Nibelheim. He was already beginning to have a few regrets about freeing the boy. Zack had no idea what he was going to do with him. And in a few hours, when it was light, Hojo would find out and be incensed. Zack needed to get out of Nibelheim. As he walked past the hotel, his eyes wandered to the parking lot, filled with cars.

Zack examined several of the cars, mentally cursing himself. How many crimes did he plan on committing in one night? But how could he leave that boy in tube at Hojo's mercy? Especially when he looked so much like Cloud… So far, Zack couldn't see anything about the boy's physical appearance to tell him it _wasn't _Cloud, and Cloud was his best friend. So Zack did what he felt he needed to do. 

Zack finally selected a car, a small, fast one that looked like it would have good gas mileage. He rapped on the side of the car and jumped back, testing for an alarm. When there was none, he tried the handle. Not surprisingly it was locked, and Zack once again made use of his pocket knife. He laid Cloud down across the back seat before popping the hood. Zack rooted around inside the car for a while before finding the two wires he was looking for. He touched them to the spark plug and the car grumbled to life. Climbing in the driver's seat, Zack threw the car into gear and sped out of Nibelheim. 

"Well Cloud, we're on our way. I figure we'll make for Gold Saucer, and we can catch a plane to Midgar from there," Zack said. As he headed out onto the freeway toward Gold Saucer, his common sense finally caught up with him. He groaned as he made a mental list of all the crimes he had committed in a three hour period: trespassing, breaking and entering, espionage, kidnapping, grand auto theft, mutiny… Zack shook his head. He was going to catch some serious hell from Shinra. Chances are he'd be court-martialed, too. Zack sighed loudly. Oh well. He'd come up with some way to get out of this mess by the time Hojo had put two and two together. He just hoped that Cloud would at least be somewhat conscious by the time they reached the airport at Gold Saucer. It would look a little odd if he walked around carrying an unconscious boy slung over his shoulder. 

A couple hours later, the glittering mass of Gold Saucer dominated the sky line. Zack had considered ditching the car on the side of the freeway and walking the last few miles on foot so as to throw off the authorities when they came searching for the car thief. It seemed like a good idea until he remembered that Gold Saucer was surrounded on all sides by several miles of inhospitable desert. The only ways to reach it now were by air and the freeway bridge that was elevated above the desert. 

Feeling uneasy about leaving a stolen car in such a public place, Zack parked in the most crowded lot and set about the task of waking up Cloud. After a few good slaps in the face, the smaller boy finally groaned and opened his eyes.

"Cloud! You're awake," Zack exclaimed, "You can't walk around in there wearing nothing by my coat. Wait here in the car and I'll go get you some real clothes."

"Unnnhhh…?" the boy gave a confused grunt in response. Zack locked the car behind him and went to find Cloud some decent clothes.

About an hour later he returned, a shopping bag on his arm.

"Here you go, kiddo. Throw those on. I won't look while you change," said Zack. He laid out the items he'd bought for his companion; a ribbed, sleeveless turtleneck in a dark maroon color, a pair of black slacks and some boots. After several attempts, the boy sat up and shakily reached for the pants.

It took Cloud an agonizingly long time to dress himself. "Can you walk?" Zack asked once he was decent. The boy tried to stand, but immediately fell over. After several more tries he was able to keep his balance and take a few shaky steps. _God, he can't even remember how to walk. What the hell did Hojo do to the poor kid?"_ Zack thought, noticing how Cloud's formerly toned muscles had grown slack and atrophied. Cloud leaned heavily on Zack for support, and they slowly made their way toward the entrance.

Inside, Zack followed the signs to the airport and walked up to the desk, very surprised that they would even be open at such an ungodly hour of the morning. Sure enough, the woman at the countered looked quite tired; her make-up was smudged and her smile was less shiny than it should have been. 

"Can I help you two gentlemen?" she asked.

"When is the next flight to Midgar?" inquired Zack.

The woman pored over a computer screen for a few moments before answering, "3:35 AM. Would you like to buy tickets?"

"Yes I would, actually. One-way though. We're not coming back through here," answered Zack.

"Alright then, that'll be, uh, 877 gil," said the woman, consulting her computer screen again. 

Zack fished around in his pocket for his wallet. He pulled out his Shinra credit card and handed it to the woman.

"From Shinra, eh? That would explain why you're traveling at this time of night. Normal people don't do things like that," she remarked as she swiped his card and handed it back. She handed him two plane tickets as well. "Have a nice flight, General Page."

Once the plane landed in Midgar two hours later, Zack was pleased to see that Cloud was doing much better. He could walk more steadily, and had fully regained the use of his hands and arms. The Midgar airport was actually just outside Midgar. The original airport had been too small to accommodate the flow of air traffic, and there was no more space anywhere within Midgar to build a larger one. 

Zack sat in the terminal beside Cloud, sipping a cup of coffee. There was no point in travelling any more until the sun came up; they were far enough away from Hojo now that he was no longer an immediate threat. 

* * *

One hour later –6:00 AM

Professor Hojo had just finished his breakfast. He wondered where the General was for a moment, but figured he was wandering outside somewhere. Humming cheerily to himself, Hojo slipped on his bloodstained lab coat and headed down into the basement to check on his test subjects. Hojo first noticed something was wrong when he tried to unlock to door. He couldn't do it because the door already _was_ unlocked. Someone had broken into his lab during the night. Upon entering the library, Hojo saw that his carefully organized notes had been disrupted. Looking down the hall, he noticed the absence of the green Mako glow. Walking into the smaller room, Hojo was appalled to see that the capsule had been opened and his test subject kidnapped. Hojo's face instantly purpled with rage. 

"God damn it! My experiment is _ruined!_ That was one of my best clones yet!" he screamed before trailing off into ranting and swearing. 

"That idiot General from Soldier! This is _his_ fault! He was here to _keep_ things like this from happening! Where is he?" fumed Hojo. He stomped upstairs and tore the house apart looking for Zack.

"General Page! Get your worthless ass out here! Do you realize what _happened_ to my _laboratory_ last night?!?" screamed the professor. Much to Hojo's distress, Zack was nowhere to be found. Could the General have been the one who broke into his laboratory? To Hojo, that sounded like a fairly logical explanation, since Zack had conveniently disappeared right after the break-in occurred. Without a second thought, the Professor got on the phone with Shinra and related the entire incident. Shinra assured Hojo that Zack would be found and punished accordingly. 

* * *

"Well Cloud, the sun's up. We ought to head out," said Zack, tossing his coffee cup in the trash, "We'll just walk to Midgar. It's only about five miles away. I'd just as soon avoid attracting attention to ourselves."

It was a long, difficult walk to Midgar. Cloud tired easily and they had to stop often. After the first three miles, Cloud was out of energy and Zack ended up carrying him again. 

"I think…there's a train…station…on that ledge…up there," panted Zack, "It's not…much further."

Zack's guess was correct. There were several railroad lines that crisscrossed more remote parts of the country side, and people from out of town used the to commute to work in Midgar. It was just after two in the afternoon now. The trains ran every half hour, so Zack and Cloud had a bit of waiting to do. Zack sat Cloud down against a tree in the shade. 

"Stay right there, buddy. I'll go grab us some drinks," said Zack, mopping sweat from his brow. Cloud attempted to follow, but fell back down and lay prone. The door to the station swung open moments before Zack touched the handle. A group of five Soldiers greeted him.

"Ah, General Page. Just the man we've been looking for. Shinra's pretty pissed at you, you know. And I've heard some quite unsavory things about you, myself. Sabotaging official Shinra science research, committing a whole list of petty crimes… Tch, tch. Good thing we're going to kill you, Page. You're a dangerous bastard," hissed the highest-ranking Soldier. 

As Zack reached for his broadsword, all five Soldiers pulled the triggers of their uzis. The bullets tore through Zack and he crumpled to the ground. 

"Make sure he's dead," growled the leader. The Soldiers emptied their clips into Zack's body before calmly returning to the train. 

Disturbed by the sound of gunfire, the boy crawled over to Zack's body, which lay in a rapidly widening pool of blood. Zack's richly tanned skin was riddled with bullet holes and his once-bright blue eyes were glazed with death. 

The boy looked at the body of his rescuer, a vague sense of recognition furrowed his brow. His rescuer had called him…Cloud. Was that who he was? He cautiously laid his hand on Zack's forehead. As he did so, fragments of memories began returning to him. Nibelheim burning. He was very upset about his. Was he from Nibelheim? Yes, that must be why he was so upset. A Soldier, very high ranking. A Grand Admiral actually. Right hand man to… Sephiroth? Yes, Sephiroth. Vivid memories of Sephiroth. Everything he wanted to be, but then the destroyer of his life. He began to feel hatred toward this man named Sephiroth. As more and more tidbits of memories crept in the boy's mind, he regained his strength as well. He thanked Zack for freeing him before taking his broadsword. Cloud slung the sword over his back and turned his gaze to circular, two-tiered city of Midgar.


	13. Only In Dreams

Chapter 13: Only In Dreams

Chapter 13: Only In Dreams

Midgar Slums, Sector 7

Laeryn Chase calmly walked away from the body of man who'd just tried to rob her. She couldn't understand why he'd chosen her as a target to begin with; she owned nothing but her weapons and the clothes she wore. She had a few gil as well, but they were all spent on food. Laeryn was not bothered by the complete poverty in which she lived, seeing as it was the only existence she had even known. As a small child in North Corel, her family had barely enough money to live on. In Soldier, her only possessions were her weapons and extra clothes. As she ascended the ranks her salary increased, but even then she lived humbly; she simply didn't know what to do with such large sums of money. Prior to becoming a Grand Admiral, she wasn't even aware that a single person could possess so much wealth. After she fled Shinra, her bank account had been terminated, erasing any money she may have had. That was irrelevant to her; it wasn't as if she ever made use of her account anyway. 

Laeryn adapted to the nomadic lifestyle she had fallen into since arriving in Midgar five years ago. She wandered the slums, fighting groups of thieves and criminals, in defense of herself and others. She had considered going to school, but that idea was quickly squelched upon finding that her back account had been erased. With no other alternatives, she joined the poverty-stricken droves of the slums, wandering aimlessly, earning a few gil occasionally from temporary jobs. As a result, Laeryn had done just about every type of hard physical labor imaginable over the course of the past five years. It suited her far better than the standard female professions. Laeryn was dismally lacking in the domestic skills necessary to become a maid-servant, cook, or nanny and had far too much dignity to become a prostitute. So instead she did things like landscaping, railroad maintenance and construction. Not the most glamorous jobs in the world, but they gave her enough gil to eat every day.

Laeryn was far from happy in Midgar, though. Memories haunted her every moment of the day, and warped her dreams every night. The loss of her family was still an open wound for her, and her hatred for Shinra burned as brightly as ever. The fact that she was so close to Shinra's headquarters yet unable to actually confront him frustrated her to no end. She thought of the weeks she lived in the wilderness after fleeing Shinra and the Turk who tried to kill her. She remembered going to Nibelheim and meeting Tifa. _Where is Tifa now?_ Laeryn wondered. Laeryn hadn't seen Tifa in four years, and hoped that her friend was safe and better off than she was. Zack and Cloud had been in Nibelheim, too. Laeryn smiled as she remembered Zack's comical antics. She had been very happy to hear that he had been promoted to General. He seemed to be an excellent person for the job. She missed her friends terribly, and would gladly give any of her few possessions to see them again. 

Her nostalgic sadness quickly escalated into despair when she thought of Sephiroth. Sephiroth, the only person she had ever really loved. And even though five years had passed since he fell into the Lifestream, she loved him still and refused any advances made on her by others. After the death of her family, Sephiroth was the only person she had left to care for. She remembered most vividly of all the night they spent together in Nibelheim and the promise she made to him, that she would always protect him. Laeryn felt personally responsible for his loss and was torn apart by guilt. _I could have saved him,_ she thought every day, _I could have tried to reach down with my other hand, I could have done something…He didn't have to fall…It was my fault. _Laeryn curled up inside an abandoned car and let her depressing thoughts lull her to sleep.

That night was the first of the dreams.

* * *

Two thousand years ago, something had fallen from the sky and left a huge scar on the Planet- a giant crater. The Lifestream bubbled close to the surface in the crater. Mako energy swirled and condensed, creating awesome materia crystal formations. Fossils lay twisted in some of these crystals, gargantuan beasts from an age long past. One of them, however, still lived, in a state of complete hibernation, almost cryogenically frozen. This one had entered the Lifestream while still alive, and was strong enough to survive the massive amount of Mako energy to which he had been subjected. His body was perfectly protected inside one of the materia crystals, eyes closed, hands slightly outspread in an almost meditative posture. While his body lay dormant with hibernation, his fertile mind was hard at work.

"Sephiroth…" whispered Jenovah. It hovered before him, not even bothering to appear in any type of humanoid form, simply a grotesque mass of writhing black appendages and glowing orange eyes.

Sephiroth heard that whisper. _Jenovah. Where am I? Am I dead, or dreaming? _he thought.

"Closer to the latter, my son. Do you remember what happened to you five years ago?" asked Jenovah, staring intently at Sephiroth's inert form.

_I fell. I fell into the Lifestream. I must be dead._ Sephiroth answered mentally.

"You are _not _dead, my son, though you _did_ fall into the Lifestream. You were strong enough to survive, though you became unconscious shortly after. The Lifestream carried you here, to this crater on the Northern Continent. Your body is in a state of advanced hibernation, perfectly preserved inside a materia crystal," Jenovah explained. 

_But five years have already passed?!? What's happened? That's a long time. Why didn't you show up to help me sooner? _Sephiroth asked, bewildered.

"Five years have indeed passed. And don't start whining about how long you've been waiting. _I've_ been waiting for two thousand years, ever since I landed here. First I was sealed in rock by a race of selfish, petulant beings that claimed they were protecting the Planet. Then I was _finally_ extracted from the rock only to be sealed in that foul formaldehyde-filled tube. Most of the body is still _in _a tube like that somewhere. But anyway, to get back to the point. When you lost consciousness you also lost your grip on me. I've been searching for you these past five years, and have just now found you. I apologize; it must have been terribly boring stuck in there," said Jenovah. 

_How do I get out of here? I need to get out._ Sephiroth thought frantically.

"Well, technically speaking, you can't get out. _However_, just because your _body_ is stuck in there doesn't mean your _mind _has to be. Are you familiar with the concept of an _astral projection_, Sephiroth?" Jenovah continued.

_No. Just tell me how I can at least communicate with the outside world, _Sephiroth demanded. 

"Patience! It's not polite for children to snap at their parents. You are talking to me using your mind, Sephiroth. You can communicate with the rest of the world this way, too. Using your mind, you can create an _astral projection_ of yourself. This projection will be indistinguishable from your actual self. You will be able to interact with your surroundings exactly as if you were freed from this crystal. Think of it as a sort of very vivid dream, a dream that you can control," explained Jenovah.

_How do I do that?_ asked Sephiroth, his patience beginning to wear a bit thin. He hated Jenovah and hated to talking to it, but right now he seemed to have no choice, as it held his only key to escaping from this crystal prison. 

"Concentrate. Think of where you want to go and what you want to do. It's not easy. You will have to practice. Since this experience will be like having a dream, I would recommend that you stick with that motif and try exploring the dream world first, then the real world," said Jenovah.

_Dream world? What do you mean?_

"When people sleep, Sephiroth, they have dreams. Everyone. Whether or not they remember them upon awakening is a different story. Like I said before, creating an astral projection is exactly like having a very realistic dream. In fact, for you, it _will_ be a dream. So naturally it will start out in the dream world, only able to affect people when they are sleeping. As you gain more skill in manipulating your astral projection, you will be able to interact with people even when they are awake," said Jenovah.

_Interesting. But why are you helping me?_

"What do you mean, 'why am I helping you'? You insolent boy! I'm your _Mother._ I _need_ you, Sephiroth. I need you to help me take back what is rightfully ours; the Planet. And it's kind of hard to do that if you're helplessly trapped in this materia," ranted Jenovah, "Now concentrate. You'll only be able to get out of here if you work at it."

Sephiroth concentrated, his mind moving toward the subconscious. He forced himself to control even that dark, unexplored part of his mind that under normal circumstances only manifested itself in dreams. Suddenly he understood what Jenovah had been telling him.

Sephiroth was flying over the city of Midgar. _Midgar? What am I doing here? I didn't end up here consciously…_ Curious, he slowly descended toward the plate. He touched down in Sector 7. Other people were all around him, but none seemed to notice. Many were doing absurd things; some were flying as he had been. _I must remember that this isn't the real world. This is dreams._ The moment his feet touched the ground Sephiroth felt that he was frantically searching for something… someone. He didn't know whom, but knew he would know once he found them. Somehow, he knew where to look. _ The slums. I must go there._ Suddenly the surface of plate faded away and he found himself standing directly below where he had been a second ago, looking up at the dirty underbelly of the plate. He scanned the area, sensing he was very close to what he was looking for. 

* * *

Laeryn turned restlessly in her sleep, deep in the throes of a very lifelike dream. She dreamt she was sitting about ten feet from where she slept, leaning against a pile of scrap metal, staring listlessly into the distance and… waiting. She wasn't sure what… who… she was waiting for, but knew she'd know once they found her. 

Sephiroth turned and saw someone sitting against a pile of scrap metal, their face obscured. That was who he was looking for! He ran to the person and she jumped to her feet upon seeing him. The shadow that covered her face seemed to pass, and he recognized her. Ink black hair, pale skin, and deep red lips made her impossible to mistake for anyone else. 

"Sephiroth!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. 

This was what he was looking for. This, which he had lost five years ago in Nibelheim. Friendship, compassion, trust, kindness… love. Laeryn. He slid his arms around her waist and looked into her ice blue eyes, which were melting and running down her cheeks. 

"I thought you were dead," she told him.

"So did I. My body is trapped somewhere in a materia crystal. But Jenovah told me I could communicate with the outside world using my mind. An astral projection," he explained to her.

"So is this real or a dream?" she asked.

"This is a dream. I don't have enough control over the projection to appear to people while they're awake, yet. I will soon," Sephiroth whispered. He ran his finger across her jaw line and traced her thin red lips before sliding his hand into her coarse black hair. She was so beautiful. _If this is a dream, I never want to wake up._

Laeryn was having very similar thoughts. "Is it true that you never have the same dreams twice?" she asked, her hands roving over Sephiroth's back and mingling with the silky silver strands of his hair. 

"No, not at all. I think we'll both be having _this_ dream again," he murmured into her ear. Laeryn shivered and turned her head to kiss him.

The astral projection was exactly as Jenovah promised, as if he weren't inside the crystal at all. All of this was proven to him by Laeryn's callused hands on his skin and her distinctive taste of iron roses in his mouth. 

Suddenly she pulled away and looked at him sadly. 

"Sephiroth, I have to go…" She faded away slowly and Sephiroth stood alone.

* * *

Laeryn woke with a start to the sound of nearby gunfire. It passed after a few moments, but she cursed it vehemently nonetheless. The sound had torn her from a wonderful dream, a dream about Sephiroth. It had been so lifelike; she remembered every detail perfectly. Including his voice telling her that she was still alive… Sephiroth was still alive. The last time Laeryn had been this happy was five years ago, in Nibelheim. She had a job today, too, doing some repair work on a worn-out section of railroad. The owner of the railroad had made it very clear that it was imperative that it be fixed quickly, since the damaged portion was so near to the station. 

Laeryn crawled out of the old car she had slept in walked about half a mile to the train station. Several workers were already there and had begun tearing up the old section of track. Huge orange 'caution' signs and yellow tape surrounded the area. She pushed passed them and jumped down to the tracks. A tall surly man approached her.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Laeryn Chase," she answered.

"Oh, right. You're one of those temp workers. Well get moving. We need to have all this track torn up by tomorrow afternoon so we can start putting in the new pieces," snapped. Laeryn grabbed a pickaxe and went to help the others. 

Trains still came to Sector 7 every half hour, but they stopped short of the station. An impromptu walkway had been constructed to the station platform. And it wasn't as if the trains picked up many passengers in the slums to begin with. 

* * *

Tifa Lockhart eagerly walked away from the bar/restaurant she co-owned with her friend Barret Wallace. Being a bar maid was more lucrative than she imagined; she hadn't expected so many tips. Of course, her relative financial stability came at a high price- her dignity. Initially Tifa hadn't wanted to be a bar maid at all. But she decided to give the job a try for the sake of Barret's eight year old daughter, Marlene. Marlene needed an education, and the money brought in by Barret's small restaurant wasn't enough. 

Tifa met Barret by coincidence, in the very restaurant that she now worked for, 7th Heaven, shortly after arriving in Midgar. Tifa asked him if he was looking for some extra help and he acquiesced, telling her that he could never get enough people to work for him. They became good friends over the past five years, and Tifa acted as almost a surrogate mother to Marlene. Tifa soon discovered that Barret's restaurant was more than it seemed, however. After telling Barret the story of how she ended up in Midgar and professing her hatred for Shinra, he reciprocated and told her about North Corel. He also told her about the anti-Shinra organization he and a few of his friends had founded. They called themselves 'Avalanche'. Their sole purpose was to end Shinra's tyrannical reign. Tifa agreed to help Barret run the group, and met fellow members Jessie Chandra, Wedge Darklighter, and Biggs Ishmael. Barret had befriended all three of them since his arrival in Midgar and convinced them to join his cause. 

Avalanche proved to be more sophisticated than Tifa had initially imagined. The basement of 7th Heaven, the stairs cleverly concealed by a pinball machine, was home to their base of operations, a nest of guns, computers, and partially completed explosive devices. Barret had acquired most of it through rather unsavory means. Now Avalanche was beginning to plan their first big move; the destruction of the Mako reactor in Sector 6. 

Tifa had no idea she would become involved with such a group. She had to help them though, they were her friends. And she wanted to see Shinra toppled every bit as much as they did. _Maybe when Shinra's gone we'll all be rich and I won't have wear this ridiculous outfit as a means of attracting customers so we can get more money,_ she thought hopefully. Since coming to Midgar, Tifa had made more use of her well-established martial arts skills than she had as a guide in Nibelheim She never went anywhere without her knuckle-dusters and studded boots. They served her well, seeing as being a bar maid in the worst part of town wasn't a very safe job.

She walked briskly toward the train station, a place she rather enjoyed because it was bit less filthy and had a slightly lower population of brigands and would-be rapists than anyplace else in Sector 7. She sat down on a bench and watched the construction on the tracks. One of the workers caught her eye. A tall dark-haired girl with alabaster skin… could it be? Tifa walked to the edge of the construction site and called out, "Laeryn? Is that you?"

Laeryn jerked her head up surprise. She wiped sweat from her forehead and looked at the young woman who had called her name. She had waist length brown hair pulled back in a low pony-tail and brown eyes with a distinct red tint to them. 

"Tifa?" she asked incredulously, dropping her pick axe.

"Laeryn! You're still alive! I'm so glad!" Tifa exclaimed.

"Hey! You! Quit slackin' and get crackin'!" the supervisor snarled at Laeryn.

Suddenly he found himself staring down the barrel of Laeryn's handgun.

"I suggest," she said calmly, "That you let me do whatever the hell I want. There are a million other temp jobs in this town and I see no reason why I should limit myself to working for someone such as you. I'll be going now. Unless, of course, you have a problem."

"N-no, no, go right ahead. There's no problem," he replied shakily.

Laeryn slipped her gun back into her pants and leapt up onto the platform. Tifa ran over and gave her a hug.

"Tifa! What have you been doing for the past few years?" asked Laeryn.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "I work at a restaurant called 7th Heaven. I'm a bar maid and waitress there. I co-own the place with my friend Barret Wallace. I hate my job, actually. I mean, look at the hideous outfit I have to wear! I only do it because Barret's one of my best friends and he really needs the money to put his daughter through school," Tifa explained. Laeryn looked at her outfit. It _was_ tacky. She wore a tight, cropped white tank top and low cut black shorts that left little to the imagination.

"Barret Wallace, you say? Is he from North Corel by any chance?" asked Laeryn.

"Yeah, he is actually. Oh right, you're from there too. You know him?" said Tifa.

"Yep. He was a friend of my parents' before… Shinra…" she trailed off, angrily gritting her teeth.

"I know the truth about that now. Barret told me. We've formed an organization that you might be interested in joining," Tifa continued, lowering her voice.

"Go on," said Laeryn, intrigued.

"We call ourselves Avalanche. Barret and I are the leaders. We have three other members as of now. Our sole purpose is to instigate the downfall of Shinra. Right now we're planning to destroy the reactor in Sector 6," explained Tifa, still speaking very softly.

Laeryn's eyes widened. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for ever since Shinra killed her family! "I'm in," she said resolutely. 

Tifa was about to say something else when her attention was distracted by an incoming train. Both women watched as the doors slid open. A few moments passed and young man stumbled out, carrying a broadsword. He had unruly blond hair that stuck out all over his head and round blue eyes.

Tifa gasped in shock and took a step back. "I-it can't be… I saw him cut in two in Nibelheim five years ago!"

Laeryn was at a complete loss to explain the situation. The young man that had just stepped off the train and was now sitting forlornly on the steps certainly _looked_ like Cloud Strife, but they both knew Cloud had died in Nibelheim five years ago. Unless some medical miracle had saved him…

Before Laeryn could say another word, Tifa walked over to him and sat beside him. 

"Unngh…?" the young man grunted vacantly as she looked at him.

"Cloud is that you? Are you all right? You look terrible," she said, laying a hand on his forehead.

More memories entered the young man's mind. Yes… he was Cloud Strife. From Nibelheim. He hated Sephiroth. And he'd always had a crush on a girl named…

"Tifa?" he croaked weakly.

"Cloud! It _is_ you!" Tifa exclaimed, giving him a powerful hug. 

"Tifa," he stated again. 

"I'm not even going to _ask_ how you ended up here. The important thing is that you're safe now. You don't look so good right now, though. You feeling okay?" she asked.

"Yeah… just a little tired… that's all," Cloud replied distantly.

The two walked over to Laeryn. "My god. It really _is_ Cloud Strife. Guess you somehow managed to survive being cut in half," she laughed.

Cloud looked puzzled. "Who are you?"

"Cloud, it's me, Laeryn Chase. I was the Grand Admiral of Soldier, remember? I was in Nibelheim with you, Zack and Sephiroth five years ago," she said.

Cloud just stared blankly at her.

"I guess he must still have some amnesia. That was a pretty nasty injury," said Tifa. Laeryn nodded agreement. "He'll recover in time."

"You living anywhere, Laeryn?" asked Tifa.

"Anywhere I happen to be at the time," smiled Laeryn, "I just wander around."

"Well, both you _and _Cloud ought to come back to 7th Heaven with me. I'll see what I can do about living arrangements and employment for you two. As well as what we talked about earlier, Laeryn," Tifa said.

"Sounds good," replied Laeryn. Cloud nodded and followed them away from the train station.


	14. Together We Stand

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Together We Stand

Tifa led Laeryn and Cloud to a two-story building that looked considerably less run-down than those surrounding it. Rows of colored Christmas lights draped from the roof and framed a large glowing sign that spelled out '7th Heaven' in curly writing. 

"This is me and Barret's place. We put a lot of work into fixing it up," Tifa explained proudly as she ushered them inside.

"Not many people here," Cloud commented, taking in the dim interior. On the wall opposite the door was the bar, lined with row upon row of bottles of alcoholic beverages. The kitchen was crammed into a corner next to the bar. Wooden tables filled the rest of the space and dented pinball machine rested against the left wall. Also on the back wall was a door with the word 'private' emblazoned on it in large black letters. The whole place smelled like alcohol and smoke and french fries. 

"On weekdays almost all our business comes during the lunch hour, which hasn't arrived yet, and the evening," Tifa said, leading them through the 'private' door. 

On the other side of the door was a large living room and a staircase heading up. Tifa yelled up the stairs, "Barret! You home? We've got some visitors!"

"Yeah, I'm here. Be right there," came the reply in a deep thunderous voice.

The stairs creaked as Barret descended them. Standing six feet four and weighing well over two hundred pounds, he towered over his surroundings. 

"Yo! What's all this?" he asked, crinkling the skin of his forehead, which was the color of Tifa's hair. 

"This is Cloud Strife, a childhood friend of mine, and Laeryn Chase she's also fro-" Tifa began.

"Laeryn!" Barret interrupted excitedly, "'Zat really you? So glad to see you okay!"

Before she could respond he engulfed her in a tremendous bear hug. "You come to da right place," he said quietly, releasing her. As he hugged her Laeryn noticed something strange about Barret's right arm, the one that had been shot five years ago. 

"Christ! Barret, you've got a _machine gun_ attached to your arm!" she exclaimed.

In place of Barret's right forearm was a gigantic gun barrel that reminded Laeryn of a vulcan.

"Oh, dis. I got dis done after dey shot me. Cudden use my right arm no mo' so I dey cut it off. Got tired o' prosthetics, wanted sumthin' a little mo' functional. So I had them put dis in, so I can use it to exact revenge 'pon Shinra," Barret explained, "Yeah I know it's weird. People's always lookin' at it funny, but dey don't dare mess wit it! So tell me what you been doin', Laeryn"

Laeryn shrugged. She told Barret about running away into the mountains and meeting Tifa and returning to Midgar. She didn't tell him about Sephiroth. Barret nodded politely and turned his attention to Cloud.

"An' how 'bout you, spikey?" he asked.

"My name's Cloud," he answered softly, "I grew up in…Nibelheim with…Tifa. I joined Soldier. But now I've left Soldier, and am wandering around this city. I am a mercenary and bodyguard because fighting is the only thing I have been trained to do." It seemed as if Cloud was telling this more to himself than to Barret.

"You in Soldier, foo'? Dem's Shinra, you know. Shinra ain't welcome around here," Barret growled, pointing his gun-arm at Cloud.

"Calm down. I said I _left_ Soldier. I'm not with them anymore. I do my own thing now," Cloud was quick to emphasize.

"So you're a mercenary now, Cloud?" Tifa asked, skillfully breaking the tension. 

"Yeah… I'm a mercenary," he answered, paying more attention to her revealing outfit than to what she was saying. 

"Well then, you want a job?" she continued.

"Of what sort?" Cloud asked.

Barret looked uneasy, running a gigantic hand over his dusty charcoal-colored crew cut. "You sho' 'bout dat, Tifa? We's only jus' met 'em."

"Barret, I trust Cloud. I grew up with him. And I've already discussed this with Laeryn. She's interested in joining," Tifa said.

"I know dat I can trus' Laeryn. I've known her since she was jus' a little baby. She's from North Corel, too. Cloud, I'll give you a chance too, in da interest o' fairness. I'm warnin' you now though, dis ain't some Soldier thing. We against Shinra. You try to defen' Shinra or you turn traitor on us, you gettin' yo ass kicked," Barret said, narrowing his small bear-like eyes at Cloud. 

"Alright, whatever. I don't care about whatever it is you're doing. I'll help you out, you pay me. It's that simple," Cloud shrugged. 

"Okay. We'll introduce you guys to the other team members then. Cloud, you'll get your money after the job is finished. Are Biggs, Wedge and Jessie around?" Tifa said, addressing Cloud and then Barret.

"Dey took Marlene shoppin'. Dey should be back any time now," Barret answered.

Tifa took a deep breath and began to explain what she and Barret had been up to.

"Barret and I founded an organization called Avalanche. Our purpose is to destroy Shinra. They have destroyed the lives of so many people, you and I included, that they don't deserve to rule."

"Not only dat, but dey destroyin' the _Planet_ as well," Barret added solemnly, "Dey build those goddamn Mako reactors every chance dey get. Mako comes outta the Lifestream, which is what allows life to exist on dis Planet. Dat flow of souls, always bringin' new life. The Mako reactors deplete the Lifestream. If dey keep buildin' 'em, den one day there's gonna be no mo' Lifestream and no mo' life on dis Planet."

"That's true as well. Yet another reason Shinra is evil," continued Tifa, "Tomorrow we will began our first official anti-Shinra operation. We are going to destroy the reactor in Sector 8."

"What?" Cloud exclaimed, "How are you going to get away with _that_?"

Before Tifa could answer, the door flew open and four more people burst into the living room. Two men, a woman and a little girl. The girl ran over to Barret and gave him a hug. "Daddy!" she exclaimed. Using one of his huge hands, Barret effortlessly hoisted her onto his broad shoulder. The grown-ups eyed Laeryn and Cloud suspiciously.

"Oh good, you guys are back. Laeryn and Cloud, this is Jessie Chandra, Wedge Darklighter and Biggs Ishmael. They are members of Avalanche also. The little girl is Barret's eight-year-old daughter, Marlene. Guys, this is Laeryn Chase and Cloud Strife. They're here to help us," Tifa went through the introductions. A small wave of nice-to-meet-yous and handshakes followed.

"Well now dat we all here, let's get down to business. We gotta get ready fo' tomorrow," said Barret. He led them back into the main room and slid the pinball machine to one side. Underneath it was a hatch on the floor, which concealed another staircase.

"Dis is our base of operations," Barret explained as the walked down the narrow stairs. Below the restaurant was a surprisingly high-tech setup. There were several computers, a ton of books, a variety of weapons and some partially built things that Laeryn recognized as different types of bombs. Old sofas had been set up in the room, and the team sprawled across them. 

"We got everything ready. On dat table by the stairs, dat's da finished bomb. We got all da weapons we need, too," Barret said.

Laeryn was impressed by the arsenal the small group had managed to muster.

"These explosives are home-made. Who makes them?" Laeryn asked, examining the craftsmanship on the finished one. 

"I do," Jessie said proudly, "I just finished that one last night. We're going to use it to destroy the reactor. I know it's small, but a Mako reactor's core is highly volatile and even a small explosion will set off a chain reaction that will blow up the whole thing."

"Nice work," Laeryn complimented, "You make the guns, too?

"Nah, just the bombs. Biggs and Wedge rounded up the guns. They're just for the three of us. Barret's gun is built in," Jessie laughed, "And Tifa doesn't _need_ a gun to do serious damage."

"Yo! If ya'll ready we gonna get started!" Barret announced.

Tifa walked to the front of the room and cleared her throat. "The easiest way to travel to the surface of the plate is via the commuter trains. Shinra employees use these trains to get to work and they have numerous stops both in the slums and on the plate. Tomorrow morning we will board the train and travel to Sector 8. The Shinra commuter trains run ID checks every morning for security reasons. This will not be a problem for us because Jessie has made counterfeit ID cards and code numbers for all of us. These should hold us over until we get off the train. Sector 8's train station is pretty close to the reactor, which is good. From there, we enter the reactor, proceed to the core, set the bomb and get the hell out. Unlike the isolated reactors in places like Nibelheim and North Corel, these reactors are located in highly populated areas and as a result have numerous security procedures to keep people out. Cloud, Laeryn, do either you know anything about this?"

Cloud shook his head. "The only reactor I've seen the inside of is Nibelheim. Same one as you, Tifa. Shinra's got separate people who work on the reactors. I'm sure we can get through, though. If you have the right equipment, that is," said Laeryn.

"Oh, we've got just about everything you can think of when it comes to hacking and sneaking around. Whatever Wedge and I can't find, Jessie makes," boasted Biggs, a stout, surly looking man with a wide reddish face. 

Laeryn nodded. "Jessie, have you tested your fake ID cards?"

"No. There's really no way I _can_ test them. It's not like we can just go over to Shinra, run them through their computers and see if they work," she said.

"I guess that's true. Well, we'll find out tomorrow then, won't we?" chuckled Laeryn, "Cloud, do you have anything to add? You were in Soldier too, you know."

"No. It's not my responsibility to come up with plans. You guys do that, I just carry them out," he shrugged.

Laeryn looked at Cloud strangely. She couldn't believe how much he had changed over the past five years. He looked similar; rather short and leanly built with outrageous yellow hair. His eyes were less round and watery looking, now they were unfathomable and determined. His eyes made him look older than he was. How old was he now anyway? Twenty one? That sounded about right. Something about Cloud bothered Laeryn, though. How had he survived? Sephiroth had cut him in half. He was _dead_. And then one day he randomly showed up in Sector 7, looking lost and confused. Laeryn had asked him how he survived and what he'd been doing for the past five years, but he didn't answer, saying he couldn't remember. Laeryn was sure there was more to that story. But now wasn't the time for finding out. She had to concentrate on tomorrow's job.

"Tifa, you okay wit watchin' the bar an' lookin' after Marlene tomorrow?" Barret asked.

"Yeah. I don't mind staying behind. We need the business," she answered, "Well I guess that's that, then. The first commuter train comes through here at 6:30 AM. That's the one that you guys will be taking. Don't be late!"

* * *

The Next Day

Barret, Laeryn, Cloud, Jessie, Biggs and Wedge stood at the station, watching as their train approached. As they boarded, a mechanized voice chimed, "please swipe your ID card. This is your first ID check."

"I guess this is where we find out if all that work I put into these was worth it, eh?" Jessie smiled nervously. She swiped her card at the terminal and waited anxiously. After a few moments, the mechanized voice announced, "ID cleared. Please board the train. The next stop is the Sector 7 plate."

Jessie practically jumped with joy as the computer approved every ID and they boarded the train without incident. They sat down in one of the cars and waited as more an more people filed onto the train. The other people looked at them a bit strangely; they sure weren't dressed like Shinra employees. The Shinra people all wore suits and ties of various colors depending on their job. Avalanche lounged rebelliously over more of the stained maroon seats than necessary, clad in torn fatigues and camo and bandanas. No one questioned them, though. They must work for Shinra. The computer would have caught any intruders. So the team sat there trying to look as casual as possible, trying not to give any outer signs of the impending nervousness they were all feeling. 

More people got on the train at the Sector 7 plate. After that were the Sector 8 slums, and then the Sector 8 plate. Laeryn stared out the window, watching the neutral-toned man-made scenery blend into masses of gray and brown as the train picked up speed. Her thoughts were still fastened to the dream she had two nights ago. What exactly had it meant? It had been so _real_. But it was just a dream… Even so, Laeryn felt fairly certain that he was alive, somewhere. He said that to her in the dream. Although Laeryn had never been superstitious or prone to believing in things like dreams and omens, _this_ dream was different in a way that she didn't understand. It didn't seem strange and random like other dreams. It seemed planned out and conscious. And for an unknown reason it left with the unshakable feeling that Sephiroth had survived. That was probably the happiest thing that had happened to her over the course of five years, which had otherwise been filled with loneliness and violence. So she decided to believe the dream, out of desperation more than anything else. If Sephiroth was alive, he must be lonely, and most likely hated by everyone for what Jenovah had made him do to Nibelheim. She needed to find him. But how was she supposed to do that? _ I will wait for another dream…wait for him to speak with me again,_ she thought, _ He seems to be the one who initiates the dreams. He said something about an astral projection, whatever that is…_

The clipped mechanized voice jarred into her thoughts. "The next stop is the Sector 8 plate. Please hold on as the train approaches the station," it recited.

"Hey Laeryn, still with us?" smiled Wedge, noticing her distant look. If Wedge was an animal, he'd be a rodent of some sort, with his wiry dark mustache and darting, alert eyes. 

Laeryn returned the smile. "Yeah. I just got a little lost in thought."

"Thinking about all the work we're going to have to do today?" he continued, carefully phrasing his question so that it gave no hint of what they were up to.

"No, just thinking about the past. People from my past," she answered.

"Ah," he replied, and didn't pry any further.

Barret nudged Cloud, who had fallen asleep. "Yo, this is us," he murmured quietly to the group.

The six members of Avalanche left the train at the Sector 8 station and looked around.

"Wedge, you were in charge o' recon. Where to now?" asked Barret, once they were safely off the train and out of anyone's earshot.

Wedge dug around in one of his numerous pockets until he pulled out a small scrap of paper. "Aha! We're really close now. Follow me."

Wedge quickly and quietly led them through a series of dark back alleys until they stood in front of a tall, thick iron gate. Barbed wire lined the top of the gate and the surrounding solid metal fence. A giant sign on the gate read, "Keep out! Authorized personnel only. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

"Authorized personnel my ass!" snorted Jessie, "We'll see what they have to say about _these_ authorized personnel." To the right of the gate was a tall control panel with a slot for an ID card and a keypad. Jessie scrutinized the device and dug around in her battered leather purse. "Nothing we can't handle!" she said cheerily, pulling out what looked like a floppy disk and inserting it into the card slot. 

"That disk," she explained to the others, "is filled with nothing but Shinra computer codes. When inserted into a Shinra computer, it runs a program that automatically picks out the correct code and uploads into the computer. Handy little device."

The control panel beeped and two large red siren lights atop the gate began flashing. The gate slowly slid to one side with a load grinding noise. Much to everyone's dismay, five Soldiers stood on the other side of the gate.

"Halt! You do not have clearance to enter this area. Let me see your ID cards!" demanded the leader. 

"ID this!" yelled Barret. Bullets erupted from his right arm and the Soldier slumped to the ground. Wedge, Jessie, and Biggs made use of their guns and took down two other Soldiers with well-placed shots to the torso. The last Soldier pulled out a sword only to find himself caught between Cloud and Laeryn. He didn't last long, and collapsed into a bloody heap with the others.

"Shit! The whole damn place must know we're here by now!" fumed Biggs, "We'll have to be really heads up from now on."

"Yeah. Well let's keep going. If we just stand here they'll catch us," Cloud said impatiently. 

"We can't just leave these bodies here. That'll give any pursuers a clue as to where we went," pointed out Laeryn. 

"Well den let's move damn quick an' get 'em outta sight!" hissed Barret. He grabbed one of the carcasses by its uniform and effortlessly dragged it around a corner into the shadows. Wedge and Jessie worked together to lift another body, and Laeryn and Cloud took the next one. Cloud leaned down and examined the corpse's clothing. He plucked something off its belt.

"What's that, Cloud?" asked Biggs.

"Key card. It'll probably be useful at some point," he replied as Biggs and Barret hauled the last two bodies away. There was a telltale trail of dark slippery blood from where they had been dragged, but at least it would give the other Soldier something to ponder before charging after them.

Once all the corpses were out of site, they ran toward the gargantuan structure in the center of the metal-fenced perimeter. 

"Door's sealed, what a surprise. Time for my handy-dandy disk again," chirped Jessie.

"Try this key card first. It'll be less of a security risk," said Cloud, holding out the keycard he found. 

"Nice work, kiddo!" Jessie replied excitedly as she swiped the card. Jessie somehow reminded Cloud of someone he'd known before… a fellow Soldier, who'd been in Nibelheim with him. After Nibelheim the next thing he remembered was hauling himself on a train to Midgar, and seeing the bullet-riddled corpse of this same Soldier. He felt indebted to this Soldier for some unknown reason, but could not recall his name at all. 

The members of Avalanche carefully stepped into the outermost chambers of the reactor, on the lookout for more Soldiers. After searching the area and finding none, Wedge gave directions for the next stage of the operation.

"Okay! There's a door down that hall on your left that will take you further into the reactor. Through the door down there will be a short passageway guarded by three security doors. Get past those and you're in. I'll stick around up here and secure the escape route. Go!" he ordered.

The others followed the directions, heading skittishly for the door that would take them further into the reactor. Exactly as Wedge had explained, the first of three security doors blocked their path. They were similar to the outermost door in that they each had a slot for a card key.

"Damn! More security doors. We're gonna need that little gadget of yours again, Jessie," grumbled Biggs. 

"Let me try the card key again first," Cloud suggested. He swiped the card, only to be greeted by a flashing red light that read 'access denied'.

"No problem. There's just a lot of different levels of security clearance in here," she remarked. Once again she inserted the floppy into the card slot and the door slid open after a few moments. After passing all the security doors, they stared at the final door that would lead them inside the reactor itself.

"Jessie, give me your disk. I've got to stay here and make sure they don't change the clearance codes," Biggs said. Jessie handed over the disk and followed Laeryn, Barret and Cloud into the reactor. 

The interior of the reactor was dim and hot. It reminded Laeryn of being inside a furnace. Everything was made of concrete and steel, with yellow and black warning labels plastered everywhere. Mazes of pipes and wires ran from the floor up into the darkness. It was too dim to see the top of the ceiling. A tiny metal staircase led downward.

"Yes! We made it in! Follow me," exclaimed Jessie.

The ladder didn't lead to a platform, but rather to a series of wide pipes. They balanced carefully on the rounded metal surface, moving slowly to avoid the dizzying drop below. After the pipes, they came to another ladder.

"Damn! How many ladders dis place got?" muttered Barret as he made his way down. 

"Oh, lots. Expect at least two others before we get to the core," replied Jessie. 

After the third ladder, Jessie stopped. "Barret, you, Laeryn and Cloud keep going to the core. Here's the bomb. I'm going to hang around back here and fend off any curious Soldiers before they find out what you're doing," she explained. The entire explosive device fit into the palm of Barret's hand.

"Be careful, Jessie," he said. He, Laeryn and Cloud continued deeper into the reactor.

The long, narrow passageways and tiny ladders seemed to go on for an eternity before they finally reached a large, open antechamber.

"This is the core," Laeryn stated. It was very similar to the one in Nibelheim; a long bridge over a deep chasm that led to a machine that drew Mako energy out of the Lifestream. Acrid-smelling, pale green steam filled the room causing them to cough. 

"So we settin' da bomb on dat thing right there?" Barret asked, pointing to a structure that resembled a giant, glowing pot bellied stove.

"Yeah. That should be the heart of the reactor, the part that actually extracts the Mako," answered Laeryn.

"Laeryn, you stay back there an' make sure no one comes an' messes wit us. Me 'n Cloud'll set dis thing," he continued. 

Laeryn pulled out her gun and squinted her eyes into the haziness, looking for movement. A glint off to the left caught her eye and she cautiously approached it. A small green chunk of crystal lay on the edge of the bridge. 

"Materia. Lucky to find it in a place like this," she said to herself, picking it up. This materia was just a chunk of crystal, not cut and polished into a neat marble-sized orb. After pocketing the materia she turned her attention back to sentry duty. 

* * *

Sephiroth was helpless inside his materia prison as Jenovah ruthlessly berated him. Its black tendrils thrashed furiously and its orange eyes glowed larger and brighter than usual.

"Bad choice, Sephiroth," it snarled, "When I first visited you in your hotel room in Nibelheim, we laid down a few ground rules, didn't we. Parents _must_ come up with boundaries for their children. You broke the rules, Sephiroth. That calls for punishment. And _don't_ try to convince that that little excursion into the slums of Midgar _wasn't_ intentional. You went there specifically to visit _her._ I clearly recall forbidding you to see her anymore, Sephiroth. So from now on _I_ will _accompany_ you, and you will go wherever _I_ tell you!"

If Sephiroth had been capable of movement, he would have slumped in defeat. There was _no_ escape from Jenovah. When Jenovah had first appeared, it had been fairly reasonable with him, at least attempting to convince him that what he was doing was the right thing. It had been doing that less and less; when Sephiroth asked for an explanation or reason for what was happening, Jenovah would snap at him, "because I told you to do it!" or "don't you remember what you read in Nibelheim? You're getting awfully lazy." Its jealous girlfriend attitude had become just as prominent as its controlling parent attitude. What bothered Sephiroth even more was the fact that he was completely at its mercy, unable even to fully open his eyes.

"Okay, now that we've gotten _that_ out of the way, I'll tell you where to go." Jenovah continued, "You see, I have many children, actually. You are, oh, how shall I put this, the strongest, most capable of my children. And since I have so _many_, it's difficult for me to keep them all in line, obeying their Mother as they should. That's where you come in, Sephiroth. You will help me teach them, as I have taught you. I _know_ they will all respect you, Sephiroth. Look up to you, want to be like you. They'll positively _worship_ you, as will every other person on this Planet when you have carried out my plans in full. But anyhow, all of these things will make my other children listen to you, Sephiroth, when they may be stubborn with me. I happen to know where one in particular is now; let's pay him a visit, shall we?"

* * *

Cloud followed Barret the rest of the way across the narrow bridge. Walking on this bridge gave him an impending sense of dread, but he couldn't figure out why. He searched his fogged memories and sensed he'd had a bad experience on one of these bridges at some point, but couldn't remember what exactly it was. As he thought about it, he suddenly reeled back, clutching the sides of his head. It felt like a dark tendril had wormed into his brain. He fell to his knees as he heard a voice, a familiar voice that he couldn't quite identify. "Careful, Cloud. This will be much more than just a reactor…" whispered the hauntingly familiar voice. 

"Yo! You okay?" Barret called over his shoulder, "Let's move it along!"

"Yeah… sorry," muttered Cloud, still very shaken up by what had just happen. 

"Whatever. Jes' set dis bomb an' let's get the hell outta here," said Barret.

Cloud affixed the bomb to the front of the reactor's core. An alarm immediately sounded. 

"Shit! That thing musta had a touch-sensitive alarm built in!" Barret screamed in frustration, "Well dey know we're here an' we got ten minutes til that thing blows so let's move it!"

"Heads up! It's coming!" Laeryn yelled from further down the bridge.

"What's co- oh, shit! What the hell is that?" Cloud and Barret exclaimed in unison. A giant metal monster was wheeling straight towards them. It was made of red metal and had six legs, each with a wheel at the end. A long flexible metal tail with a laser cannon attached to the tip swished behind. Two arms protruded from its sides, each adorned with an enormous machine gun. A squat, ugly head was positioned on top and dominated by a single red eye.

"Guard Scorpion. When I was in Soldier they were still designing these things," answered Laeryn, "If either of you have electricity materia, now would be a _great_ time to use it."

The Guard Scorpion's first wave of machine gun fire was aimed at Cloud, who lunged to one side. Barret waved his arms in the air to distract it. It sized up Barret for a moment and Cloud took the opportunity to rend the outer layer of metal with his sword. Since the advent of guns and robotics, all swords were made of mythril or adamantine, the two sharpest metals in existence. These metals could easily cut through steel or titanium.

The robotic creature screeched with dismay and kicked Cloud with one of its stubby legs. He flew backwards from the force of blow. As Cloud flew through the air Barret opened fire with his machine gun, peppering the Scorpion with small dark bullet holes. Moments later Barret narrowly avoided a stream of retaliatory bullets. Cloud began to move again, which instantly drew the Scorpion's attention. Its long tail snaked up over its head and smashed into the ground where Cloud had been lying moments earlier. As soon as the tail was out of the way, Laeryn ran in from behind and shoved both her sword into its back. The Scorpion screeched again and viciously swung its tail backwards. Laeryn failed to move in time and the tail glanced off her shoulder, nearly knocking her over the edge. After striking Laeryn the tail remained poised over the Scorpion's head. Barret raised his arm to attack again.

"Barret! Cloud! Stop! Don't attack it when it's tail is raised like that! See that black thing on the end of its tail? That's a laser cannon. If you attack it now, it will fire on both of you. Now for the second time, do either of you have electricity materia? Cloud?" Laeryn yelled at them. 

"I have no fuckin' clue what the hell you talkin' about!" came Barret's impatient reply.

"There's some materia on my sword," Cloud stated, noticing the small green orbs on the lower part of the blade for the first time.

"What kind?" Laeryn yelled again, "Hurry up! I know it's not attacking right now, but that's only because it's locking onto a target for a concentrated laser attack!"

"I can't tell just be _looking_ at them! All spell materia looks the same," Cloud yelled back.

"Well for Christ's sake, try it out! Just try it out! Yell out spell names! Fire, Quake, Bolt, Demi- ! _Think_, Cloud!" ordered Laeryn, sounding highly vexed. 

The Scorpion's tail began to glow faintly, charging up for the imminent laser attack. Cloud did as Laeryn ordered and yelled out random spell names. He couldn't remember many of them, so he used the ones that Laeryn had mentioned. When he said 'Ice', a small blizzard erupted from his sword and sent chunks of ice flying at the Scorpion. This only served to enrage it more and its tail glowed more brightly.

"Bolt!" Cloud finally said. Lightning blasted from his hands and sword, squarely hitting the Scorpion. It convulsed for several moments longer, the electricity crackling around and through and making their arm hairs stand on end. Finally the Guard Scorpion fell over in a heap of smoking metal.

"Damn! Dat wasted a shit load of time! We need to be getting' outta here!" roared Barret as he leapt over the smoking metal corpse of the Guard Scorpion. Cloud followed and all three of them began a helter-skelter escape from the reactor. As they ran they collected Jessie and Biggs dove through Wedge's escape route moments before fire shot out the entrance of the reactor and the entire structure blossomed into a colossal red and green explosion. 

They then found themselves in a disused railway tunnel. At one end was a thick concrete wall and the other end, the one they had planned to escape through, was barricaded by rubble from the explosion. 

"Damn it!" sighed Wedge, "We got so close to escaping."

"Don't give up. We'll find a way out of here," Laeryn said calmly, "Jessie, do you have anything we could use to get past that barricade? A small explosive charge, perhaps?"

"As a matter of fact I do. I'm always prepared, y'know!" Jessie replied, cheerful as usual. She pulled what looked like a make-up compact out of her purse and flipped it open. After hitting a few tiny buttons on the inside, she tossed it amidst the rubble.

"Everyone duck against the back wall!" she ordered. They did so and the compact exploded, blowing the rubble out the other end of the tunnel. 

Coughing and covered with dust, Avalanche emerged from the tunnel. Barret laughed triumphantly. "We did it! We blew up the reactor _and_ made it out alive! That outta keep the Planet goin' at least a little longer!" he exclaimed jubilantly, "Now everyone spilt up an' head to the train station. It ain't safe to travel in a group like this- looks suspicious. Remember we get off at the Sector 7 slums. Meet back at headquarters." The team split and took off through back allies. 

Cloud soon found himself lost. He wasn't familiar with Midgar like the others, and he found himself following smudged and crooked signs to the station. As he ran, he noticed people running around confused and terrified. The reactor had provided electricity to the whole of Sector 8. The people who lived there had witnessed the giant explosion and then seen the blackout spread across the Sector. They dashed around in the dim light trying to figure out what happened. Cloud stopped a moment when he felt a light tug on his arm. A girl about his age stood there, looking at him with a questioning expression on her face. Something about her round forest-green eyes and braided mahogany hair seemed so familiar to Cloud. 

"Excuse me, do you know what happened?" asked the girl.

Cloud shook his head. "You'd better go home. It's dangerous out here." He ran off again, leaving her standing amidst the chaos. Did he know her from somewhere? Why couldn't he remember? _This is no time to think of all the people I've met in the last few years,_ thought Cloud, _I need to get out of here._

He continued his dash through the dark alleyways of Sector 8 until he heard someone shout from behind him, "You there! Stop where you are and drop your weapon!" Cloud glanced over shoulder and swore. Two Soldiers were chasing after him. _Damn! I must have looked suspicious running away like that…_ he though angrily. One of the Soldiers had stopped the pursuit and was saying something into a walkie-talkie. Cloud tried to take a right down a larger street, only to come face to face with more Soldiers. More and more seemed to pour from all of the surrounding alleys.

"Shit! So much for making that train," sighed Cloud, lifting his broadsword as the Soldiers advanced. Cloud knew he would need to strategize well to get out of this situation alive. He was standing on a wide overpass above railroad tracks. The street he was standing had several side streets and alleys branching off it, but the Soldiers stood in his way. _Maybe I can cut down a few of them and run for my life through those alleys, _he thought frantically as the Soldiers pressed closer, pinning him against the railing. Cloud's plan was abruptly changed when he heard a train rumbling close by. The nearest Soldier raised her sword to attack as the train passed under the bridge. Without a second thought Cloud threw himself over the bridge and landed hard on top of the train.

* * *

Laeryn, Barret, Jessie, Biggs and Wedge sat inside the train, their good mood lessened by the fact that Cloud had failed to arrive at the station.

"Cloud didn't make it… wonder if he got killed?" mused Wedge.

"Nah. He seemed like a pretty resourceful guy if you ask me. I'm sure he figured something out," Jessie said hopefully. 

"He has Soldier training. That greatly increases his chance of survival," added Laeryn. 

A loud banging on the ceiling of the train caused them all to look up.

"Now what the hell is that…?" growled Barret, "It better not be Shinra!"

As Barret pointed his gun-arm at the ceiling, Biggs intervened. "Hold up a minute. Let's just wait and see. Besides, it wouldn't be a good idea to start a ruckus on the train. We'd be arrested for sure," he reasoned. Barret lowered his arm as the pounding became more persistent. 

"Why don't we find out for sure?" Laeryn said. She pulled hard on the sliding hatch on the side of train and it slid open. She leaned precariously far out, gun in hand, trying to see onto the roof. Moments later she was bowled backward as something came flying into the train car. 

Cloud stood up in the center of the car and dusted himself off.

"Cloud!" everyone else exclaimed in unison.

"We thought you were dead!" Jessie exclaimed as she ran over to Cloud and gave him a hug. Everyone else rolled their eyes.

"Damn!" Barret smiled, "What the hell took ya so long?"

Cloud extricated himself from Jessie's embrace as he replied, "I ran into some Soldiers."

"So you jes' had to stop an' fight 'em, right? Cudden be bothered to think 'bout us waitin' for ya at the station? And then you jes' come waltzin' in here, makin' a big entrance! Don't you give a damn 'bout no one but yo'self?" Barret continued, sounding considerably less pleased. Barret was quite unpredictable and moody, as Cloud was rapidly finding out. He shrugged. "It's what I always do."

Cloud's cool demeanor frustrated Barret to no end. "Dat's comin' outta yo' pay, hotshot!" he snapped before falling silent again. 

The train ride finished in silence as they arrived at the Sector 7 slums. Avalanche returned to their 7th Heaven, where Tifa and Marlene were waiting for them. 

"Daddy!" Marlene shrieked and jumped into Barret's arms.

"I'm so glad yo' safe, sweetheart. I worry about you all the time, even with Tifa here to protect you!" he said, happily hugging the little girl. 

Tifa mixed drinks for all of them to celebrate. She sat next to Cloud as he sipped his martini. 

"I'm glad you made it back safely, Cloud," she said softly, "I _was_ worried. About everyone."

He shrugged. "Yeah, we made it."

"Okay. But make sure you nag Barret about your money. He tends to 'forget' things like that," she replied.

"Oh, I will. I'm leaving this place as soon as I get my money,' Cloud said.

"Where exactly will you go after this? And why are you so eager to leave? Do you really hate us all that much?" she laughed.

"What's with you? I mean, sorry. I mean, I don't know yet. I…" he started. 

"Yo! Everyone downstairs! We havin' a meeting!" Barret shouted.


	15. We Are Forming

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

All the members of Avalanche had assembled downstairs and were drinking and laughing and exchanging high fives. 

"Yo listen up! Jes' 'cuz we did good on this first mission doesn't mean we can start gettin' cocky an' makin' mistakes. Our next mission will be to blow up the Sector 1 reactor. It'll go jes' like the one we jes' did. But like I said, no slackin' off! We may've won that battle, but we've yet to win the war," Barrett advised the others, putting a slight damper on the revelry. 

Cloud wasn't listening to Barrett. He was sick of listening to Barrett. Not only that, he was far too absorbed in the fragments of his memories to take part in the merriment. He thought about the Soldier whom Jessie had reminded him of, the one he felt grateful to for some reason. He thought about Tifa, and the childhood memories he shared with her. He vaguely remembered his mother. He remembered Sephiroth very prominently; he hated Sephiroth because of what he did to Nibelheim. He recalled following Sephiroth to the reactor. He tried to remember what happened next but drew a complete blank. He couldn't remember anything between going to the Nibel reactor and standing at the Midgar train station holding a broadsword. And who was Laeryn Chase? She said that she'd been in Soldier the same time as him and that she had been a Grand Admiral. Surely he would have remembered someone like that. But the most disturbing part was that she seemed to know him perfectly well. Cloud sighed heavily, confused by his scattered memories. He swirled his martini in the glass and watched the liquid slosh around.

"Cloud! The hell's the matter wit you? This is supposed to be _happy times. We jes' succeeded on our first mission! Or you still thinkin' you too good fo' us 'cause you was in Shinra?" snapped Barrett._

Cloud rolled his eyes and didn't look at the larger man as he answered, "How many times must I tell you? I'm no longer associated with them. They're a bunch of lying bastards. But don't get me wrong; I've no attachment to this ragtag little group of yours either. I'll be upstairs. Come talk to me when you're ready to discuss my payment."

Cloud left his still-full glass on the table and stormed upstairs. After a discrete interval had passed, Tifa excused herself to go upstairs and put Marlene to bed. After the little girl was tucked in, she seated herself at the bar across from Cloud.

"Want anything to drink?" she asked coyly.

"Something hard. But _not a martini. I don't like those," he replied._

"Oh, sorry. If I'd known that I wouldn't have made you one earlier," she apologized.

Cloud shrugged as she set a bourbon on the rocks out for him. He drank it down in one gulp. 

"So you fought alongside Barrett today?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah," came Cloud's tired reply. He wished he could muster more enthusiasm for this conversation. He hadn't talked to Tifa in years, and she was even prettier than he remembered, having grown out of her gangly teenage phase. Now she was an inch taller than he, with impossibly long legs and a muscular, curvy build. Her face had filled out as well, giving her a more mature look. Her hair was the same simple brown color and length though, worn in its customary pony-tail, with a few shaggy, uneven bangs falling over her forehead. Her brown eyes still had a fierce red undertone to them.

"I know he can be a bit difficult at times, but he means well. You heard his story about what Shinra's done to him. And he's trying to put Marlene through school, too. That's why he may seem a bit reluctant to fork over your money," Tifa explained.

"Well he should have thought of that before he hired me," Cloud responded wearily, "And I'm not going on this next mission until I get paid for the first one." 

"So you'd really just run off and leave us? Is that anyway to treat a childhood friend?" Tifa demanded with mock seriousness.

Mentally, Cloud slapped himself. That came out _totally wrong. He hadn't intended for Tifa to interpret it that way. After all, memories of Tifa were some of the few he could cling to._

"I…sorry, Tifa.I suppose not," he apologized.

"It's all right, Cloud," she laughed, "Don't you remember the promise we made seven years ago? You were fourteen and I was thirteen at the time."

Cloud felt like he was on dangerous ground. He _vaguely remembered something like that, but didn't want to make an idiot of himself in front of Tifa by throwing out random pieces of memories. At the same time, he didn't want to hurt her feelings by __not remembering at all. So he just stood there looking at her._

Much to Cloud's relief, Tifa laughed again, "Jeez! What'd they do to you in Soldier, erase your memory? Mmman! I'd better remind you!"

Cloud listened intently as she explained it to him. As she spoke, the memory dropped into place like falling puzzle pieces.

"Remember that huge well in Nibelheim? You asked me to meet you there one night," Tifa began.

"Oh yeah… I remember that. You were late," Cloud said.

"Yeah, I was late. You told me you were leaving to join Soldier and that you wouldn't be coming back home for a while. I asked you if you'd be famous and get your name in the paper. You said you hoped so, so you could be like Sephiroth. I never understood why you wanted to be like him… But anyways, I asked that since you would be such a famous Soldier guy that if I ever got in a bad situation you'd come rescue me. And you promised you would," she explained.

"I remember now. But I'm afraid I can't keep that promise. I'm not famous," Cloud replied sadly.

"So? You're still in Soldier, which is what you've always wanted. So the promise still applies," Tifa cajoled him.

Barrett came charging up the stairs and barged in on their conversation.

"Yo!" he called to Cloud, "A promise is a promise." He tossed Cloud a small leather bag full of coins. 

"1500 gil is my pay? For two missions? Don't make laugh. Better make it three thousand," Cloud said.

"So you _will stick around!" Tifa exclaimed happily. _

Barrett looked very indecisive. Three thousand gil was a lot of money.

Tifa leaned over to him and whispered, "We're really hurting for help, Barrett. You said so yourself."

"Yeah I know," he answered, still worried, "But that's money fo' Marlene's schoolin'!"

After a moment longer, Barrett turned to Cloud and blurted out, "two thousand!"

"Agreed," said Cloud, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. We have to get up early for the mission tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning Cloud awoke and stumbled down the stairs. He'd had to share a room with Barrett and Marlene. Tifa and Laeryn had the other bedroom and Jessie, Wedge, and Biggs got the living room couches. Cloud hadn't had the most restful night; Barrett was quite a snorer. 

The others were already up.

"Good morning, Cloud. Sleep well?" yawned Tifa, not looking very awake herself.

"Yeah. Sort of. Barrett snores a lot," he answered quietly.

Tifa laughed. "Yeah I know. I'm going on this mission too, by the way. Everyone should be ready shortly. Marlene, do you feel comfortable staying here by yourself?"

"Yes, Tifa. I can take care of things," answered the little girl.

"Good. Remember, the restaurant will be closed, so don't let anyone in, okay?"

"Okay."

Tifa looked at the others. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were still nursing cups of thick poisonous coffee and Laeryn sat on a bar stool sharpening her swords. Laeryn seemed a bit more distant than Tifa remembered. She often looked sad or anxious about something, the look of a person perpetually haunted by the past. Tifa worried about her, and wanted to ask her what was wrong. She didn't want to make her uncomfortable with too many questions, though.

Barrett stood by the door, impatiently tapping his foot.

"Yo! Everyone ready? We movin' out. Same drill as befo'. Get on da train, blow up da reactor, get the hell out. We goin' to Sector 1 this time," he shouted.

* * *

After Jessie passed out the fake IDs again, Avalanche boarded the train bound for the Sector 1 plate. Once again, they sat down nervously, ignoring the questioning stares of the smartly dressed Shinra employees around them. 

Tifa got bored of sitting and walked around the car. She found a computer screen and called up a 3-D map of Midgar. "Cool!" she exclaimed, "Hey Cloud, come check this out."

Before Cloud could move the lights turned red a soft but persistent alarm began to sound. 

"Warning! Unauthorized passengers have been detected. Please stay calm as a lockdown of the cars commences in order to isolate the intruders," a mechanical voice announced.

"Shit!" growled Jessie, "Come on everyone! The lockdown starts at the rearmost car and moves to the front. We need to move up one car at a time and keep ahead of it. Go!"

The team took off running toward the front of the train. Their behavior was noticed by all of the personnel on the train, who ran after them and yelled at them to stop. 

"Okay! Now we're at the first car. Jessie?" panted Biggs.

Jessie's eyes were wide with fear. "Um… shit."

"We need to get off the train," Laeryn stated simply. There was a door on her left, with a guard blocking it. She shoved the guard out of the way and yanked the door open. 

"We jump out, and walk through the tunnel to get to the reactor," Laeryn said. Moments later she jumped off the train.

"Come one everyone! It's the only way to avoid the lockdown!" Tifa urged before leaping out the door.

Cloud stared incredulously out the door before turning to Barrett. "Aren't you going to jump?"

"You go first. A leader always stays til the end," he answered.

Cloud shrugged, and jumped. Barrett jumped a minute later. 

They all met up in the tunnel a little while later.

"We can get to the reactor by continuing down this tunnel. And where are Biggs, Wedge and Jessie?" said Laeryn.

The others glanced at each other nervously.

"Dey got off that train, I'm sure of it. Dey ain't no foo's. Dey could be ahead of us already, so let's get movin'," Barrett answered with more confidence than he felt. 

The train tunnel was dark and smelly and infested with huge rats. They continued down the tunnel for a long time. 

"We must be somewhere near the reactor by now," Tifa said nervously. The train tunnels under the plate would be a very unpleasant place to be lost in.

"I really doubt they'd build rail tracks right underneath the reactor. It wouldn't be very safe. We need to find another tunnel that branches off of this one, one without train tracks," explained Laeryn.

"There's a tunnel just ahead, on the right," pointed out Cloud.

"Den dat's where we goin'," Barrett said definitively. 

They had only gone a short way down the side tunnel before they encountered a glowing green laser net blocking their path.

"I'd bet that blocked tunnel leads to the reactor somehow," speculated Tifa.

"Yeah well we can't pass dat. We gonna have to go back and look fo' another way," Barrett sighed dejectedly. 

"No, let's not risk getting lost in those tunnels. There must be someway we can deactivate this thing," Cloud said, examining panel next to the laser net. Laeryn examined it as well, looking for a card slot or keypad of some sort.

"Hey guys, come look at this!" Tifa exclaimed suddenly. She pointed to a small duct near the ground. "If we can get this vent off, we could slide down and go _under the lasers."_

"Let's see," Laeryn muttered. She grabbed hold of the vent and pulled back. The vent was much looser than she anticipated and came off easily.

"Rusty screws," she chuckled, "Shinra isn't _nearly as clever as they give themselves credit for."_

Barrett apprehensively peered down the dark chute. "Damn, that is _tiny! You askin' me to fit in __that?" he exclaimed._

"Unless you'd rather wait here for us," retorted Cloud. Barrett glared at him.

"Well what's everyone waiting for? Let's go," Tifa said impatiently and slid down feet first. Laeryn and Cloud followed moments later. Barrett took a little longer, trying to squeeze his massive frame through the duct.

They found themselves standing in another tunnel, even more foul and dimly lit than the first. All its sides were made of metal and the faint sound of dripping liquid could be heard. 

"We must be in the sewers or landfills by now," Tifa remarked with disgust, "And I can hardly see a thing!"

Barrett was about to make some pessimistic comment about their situation when a low call caught his attention. Everyone turned in that direction, weapons drawn.

"Calm down guys. It's me, Jessie," they were much relieved to hear.

"Jessie! Glad to see yo' safe! How'd you get off da train? Where's Biggs 'n Wedge?" Barrett exclaimed.

Jessie laughed. "Whoa there! That's a lot o' questions. We got separated from you guys on the train because we didn't make it to the next car in time. So to make a long story short, we ended up having to shoot a few Shinra people a go out a window. The police were after us in no time, so we found one of the vents leading downward and went through it. I think we lost them. Biggs and Wedge are around here somewhere. They're looking for any unfriendly creatures that might live down here."

"Good idea. Do you have any idea where these tunnels lead to, or which way we should go?" Cloud asked.

"Well uh, no. If we could get some more light, we'd be able to see more than four feet from our faces and take a good look around," griped Jessie.

"Do you have anything flammable that we could make a torch out of? I can light it with fire materia," suggested Laeryn.

Jessie glanced around, trying to find something they could use. As she did so, she saw Biggs and Wedge approaching.

"What's up, everybody! Good thing you guys made it too. Hey Laeryn, is this what you're looking for?" Wedge greeted them cheerily, holding a long slimy piece of wood.

Biggs interrupted before Laeryn could answer. "It's sopping wet! That wood'll never light!"

"Actually, it doesn't matter. Magical fire isn't affected by normal water. It'll burn until the duration of the spell runs out, it's commanded to stop, or extinguished by some other magical means," Laeryn explained, taking the proffered stick, "Where did you guys find this?"

"Oh, there's heaps of trash and stuff just lying around all over the place. It's pretty gross, actually. We heard you talking about building a torch, since sound carries surprisingly well down here, and decided to see what we could find," said Biggs.

Laeryn smiled at him. "Thanks. But if sound carries down here, we ought to continue quietly. We don't know what kinds of things might live down here."

She uttered a soft command word and the end of the stick burst into flame. Barrett's normally small eyes became wide with awe. "How's that shit work?" he asked in wonderment.

"It's simple, really, once you learn to control it properly. You just hold the crystal in your hand, concentrate on the size of the spell you want to cast and its target. Then you say the command word, which is usually the same as the effect, like 'fire' or 'ice'. If all goes well, the desired effect should occur.I could teach you to use it sometime, if you like," said Laeryn.

"Yeah, that would be good," Barrett answered eagerly.

"It does take a lot of practice, though, and it can be dangerous if not controlled or used correctly," cautioned Cloud.

Laeryn gave Cloud a strange glance, wondering where he had gotten his knowledge of materia. He'd never made it to the high ranks in Soldier, and therefore was never taught how to use materia.

"In any case, we need to find a way out of here. Might I suggest that 'up' would be the way to go?" Tifa cut in, wanting out of the tunnels. Having grown up in the wide open wilderness of Nibel, she had never been fond of small dark places. 

So they began a slow, arduous climb upwards, clinging to slippery ladders and shimmying up narrow ducts or scrambling up heaps of garbage when no other path could be found. Dark things scurried about and watched them with keen, quick eyes.Their hands were always ready on the hilts of their weapons.

It seemed an eternity before they came at last to a solid roof, the surface of the plate. A single ladder led upward.

"Wonder where that goes?" speculated Cloud.

"Well there's only way to find out," said Tifa, wrinkling her nose with distaste, "And I'm sure wherever it leads will be an improvement over this sewer."

"Den let's not wait any longer," Barrett said nervously, "After dat stunt we pulled on da train, every cop in da who' damn city's gonna be lookin' fo' us." He scrambled up the ladder the ladder with surprising speed.

"Barrett, wait! We don't know what's up there!" Laeryn called after him. Her warning came too late as Barrett shoved upwards and easily tore the hatch off its hinges. He poked his head through the floor of a small room. Startled cries burst from the sides of the room.

"Augh! Intruders, coming from sewers!" sounded on voice.

"Take arms! It must be the terrorists!" came another.

Barrett swore loudly and dropped back down.

"Everyone into the shadows, quick! Hide" Wedge urged quietly.

"Jessie, Wedge and I will retreat and draw them away. Just stay hidden," said Biggs.

"And don't worry about us. We got a good look around these tunnels before you guys showed up. We'll lead them on a wild goose chase through the sewer. Now hurry and get out of sight, here they come!" Jessie said.

Barrett, Laeryn, Tifa and Cloud hastily ducked back into the shadows and lay still. Hiding proved to be a wise decision; there were many more Soldier guards than they had thought. Now they were all jumping down the ladder in pursuit of Biggs, Wedge and Jessie. Finally the last one vanished into the murky darkness. The remaining members of Avalanche emerged from hiding.

"That was a lot closer than it needed to be," Laeryn said, looking pointedly at Barrett, who made no response.

"Either way, the Soldiers are gone so let's just keep moving," said Cloud. 

They climbed up the final ladder and found themselves standing near the ceiling of a large antechamber. The room was dim and steamy and permeated by the pungent, unmistakable smell of raw Mako energy. Pipes and ladders criss-crossed the room like spider webs. A single, open chute appeared to be the only way down from guard platform on which they were standing. 

"Oh, how lucky for us!" Tifa exclaimed, "We've come up _inside the reactor!" _

"So we have," said Laeryn with a smile, "And since Shinra builds all their reactors alike, we should be able to figure out which way to go."

Avalanche had no trouble reaching the heart of the reactor. As Laeryn had said, it was nearly identical to the other one they had destroyed. Cloud and Tifa walked ahead to plant the bomb while Laeryn and Barrett hung back to stand guard. As Cloud approached the core, he noticed tendrils of dark mist stray into his vision. A terrible ringing began in his ears and he hung back several steps, trying to shake off the strange sensations. The ringing intensified and Cloud clapped his hands over his ears in an attempt to drown out the painful sound. It only grew stronger however, and the blackness completely engulfed his vision.

Cloud entered a dream-like state, then. It was clearly a flash-back of some sort, though he had no distinct memories of the events that unfolded before him ever happening. As if he were watching a movie, he found himself looking down into the Nibel reactor. He saw himself running across the bridge, and Tifa running a little ways ahead of him. The he heard Tifa yell, "Sephiroth! You bastard! How could you do that to my father and all the townspeople?!? I'll kill you!" And she disappeared into the core of the reactor.

Suddenly Cloud was aware of someone shaking him, awoke disoriented. He was inside a reactor near the core… where was Sephiroth? Was Tifa in danger? As his refocused, he saw Tifa kneeling beside him, shaking him, her reddish eyes full of concern. "Hey Cloud, you okay?" she asked.

"Tifa!" he exclaimed suddenly, as if he had just realized she was there.

"Yes?" she replied, a bit puzzled.

It dawned on Cloud that he was not in the Nibel reactor, that Sephiroth was nowhere to be found and Tifa was not in danger. "Forget it. We need to finish this job," he said.

"Damn, get a hold of yo'self, man!" Barrett muttered.

Tifa and Cloud were able to set the bomb without incident, and they were quite relieved that no strange robotic creatures attacked them on their way out. They climbed up the stairs to the ground floor of the reactor. There was a door to the left, another further off to the right, and one straight ahead.

"Yo, dis way!" Barrett called, motioning them to the left. Moments later he found himself rapidly backing away as a brigade of Soldiers advanced on him with their guns raised.

"Shit! Shinra Soldiers!" he exclaimed in surprise. More Soldiers poured out of the opening to the right, hemming them in.

"It was a trap," Cloud stated blandly.

The sound of a helicopter swooping close by distracted them. They turned toward the remaining exit to see a armored chopper touch down, and a squat fat man with a shaggy yellow moustache and watery blue eyes step out. He was wearing a burgundy colored suit and chomping on an enormous cigar. Laeryn recognized him in an instant.

"President Shinra," she growled, pulling out her gun. Something about him seemed familiar to Cloud as well, and he stood next to Laeryn to get a better look.

"Ah, yes. It's you, the traitor. Well, you've certainly lowered yourself a few notches. Going from a top ranking Soldier in my army to scurrying around with the lowest scum of Midgar! Funny how times change," smirked the President. He gave condescending looks to the other members of Avalanche before continuing. "Sorry I don't remember your name, traitor. I can't be expected to remember _everyone's name, you know. Not unless you become another Sephiroth," Shinra paused a moment, an almost wistful look on his pudgy face, "Ahh, Sephiroth. He was brilliant. Perhaps too brilliant."_

Laeryn shifted ever so slightly at the mention of Sephiroth. She cast her eyes downward, lest they betray to everyone else what she was feeling. Barrett barged between Laeryn and Shinra suddenly, gun-arm upraised. 

"Yo we don't care 'bout none o' dat! So you da big cheese, eh? What you got to say fo' yo'self?" he challenged the President.

Shinra laughed softly in response. "Oh and you must be that terrorist group, Avalanche, right?"

"Damn straight! An' don't you forget it, neither!" roared Barrett, "An' don't go thinking you da shit either! Dis place is go blow in a few minutes an' as far as I'm concerned it's takin' you wit it!"

Shinra laughed louder. "Why, so it is. Pity to have to waste a good reactor to get rid of vermin like you. Now if you'll excuse me. I'm a very busy man and I have a dinner to attend. But don't worry; I've left a play-mate for you lot. His name is AirBuster, a prototype mecha-Soldier." He pulled a small remote control out of his pocket and pressed a button. 

"What's that sound?" Tifa called nervously, her sharp hearing picking up a whirring sound that was growing progressively louder. Barrett ran back to her side.

Cloud and Laeryn were still engaged in a futile confrontation with the President.

"My name is Laeryn Chase, Shinra. And I doubt you'll be forgetting it again anytime soon. You'll get what you deserve, and it will come from those you have made suffer the most," she warned solemnly. Shinra was silent for a moment, slightly unnerved by Laeryn's deadly serious and strangely knowledgeable tone of voice. Shinra stared hard at her for a few moments, remembering the war with Wutai, the victory celebration… Laeryn and Sephiroth. Something about Laeryn's voice, combined with those few memories, had rattled him somewhat. A voice from within the helicopter cancelled his memories, and he leapt inside. 

"Hey, Laeryn and Cloud! Can we have a little help with this thing?!" Tifa called frantically.

A metallic monster stood between them, and it menacing Barrett and Tifa. Barrett had opened fire on it, and Cloud and Laeryn ran to assist. Now that Cloud had figured out how to work his bolt materia properly, the fight finished much more quickly. It was not long before AirBuster reeled from a final set of lighting bolts, and stood there quivering and smoking.

"It's going to explode!" cautioned Laeryn. She, Tifa and Barrett leapt backwards as AirBuster blew apart, leaving a gaping hole in ground. Cloud lost his footing and toppled into the hole, clinging to a thin piece of metal.

"Cloud!" Tifa screamed, running toward the edge. Through the hole was a dizzying drop. Far below she could see the roofs of buildings in the slums.

"Stay back! Dat edge ain't stable. Can't have you or Laeryn fallin' too!" cautioned Barrett as he grabbed Tifa and pulled her back.

"Is there nothing we can do?" Tifa implored.

"Guys, just get out of here. This reactor is going to explode," Cloud said.

"Hold on, Cloud!" Tifa said, wrenching free of Barrett's grip.

Tifa didn't make it to Cloud in time, and he fell. 


	16. Pink

Chapter 16: Pink

"Hello? Hello? Are you alright?" a faint voice reached Cloud's ears, gently bringing him back to consciousness. He slowly and painfully opened his eyes to see a petite girl dressed all in pink standing over him. 

"Uggh… who are you?" Cloud grunted.

"Shhh, don't worry about me. Just worry about yourself for now," answered the pink girl.

Cloud groaned and lay back down, trying to drown out the throbbing in his head. His vision became clearer and he took in his surroundings. He was in a large wooden building with a row of benches on each side and an altar across from the door. A church. He realized he was lying on a soft bed of soil, and that he was surrounded by crushed flowers.

"Do these flowers belong to you?" he asked the pink girl, noticing how scrupulously she was tending to them.

"Yes. I grow them. Plants won't bloom anywhere in the slums, but they seem to like this church because it's a sacred place," she explained. 

Cloud studied the pink girl. After a few moments he recognized her as the girl who had approached him after the Sector 8 reactor blew up. And he still had the strangest feeling that he knew her from somewhere before then, too.

"Oh sorry. I crushed a bunch of your flowers," he apologized.

She shrugged and smiled. "Don't worry about it. The flowers are very resilient. They'll grow back quickly." She knelt beside him and gave him a long look.

"Say, don't I know you from somewhere? You look awfully familiar," she said.

Cloud couldn't piece enough of the memory together to fully recognize her, so he answered, "No, I don't think so."

"Oh," she answered, looking slightly disappointed for a moment. Soon she brightened again and asked him, "So do you feel like talking?"

Cloud sat up and shifted around nervously. He found the pink girl's wide, green eyed gaze traveling over him and became uneasy for some reason. "I don't really have anything to talk about…" he said to her. 

Once again, a decidedly disappointed look crossed her face and she went back to tending the flowers. They say there in awkward silence for a few minutes before the pink girl said, "You know, we should at least know each other's names. My name is Aeris Gainsborough."

"Cloud Strife," he replied simply, rising shakily to his feet.

Aeris giggled and fluttered impossibly long brown eyelashes at him. She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly as she spoke to him, hoping to look very sweet and coquettish… or something. Cloud really wasn't sure what she was trying to do.

"So, Cloud. What do you do for a living?" she asked.

He shrugged again. "I've done a lot of different things."

She was about to press him further when the door of church opened and a tall red-haired man with a white, scar-covered face breezed in. He was clad in a navy blue suit and black glasses hid his expression from view. Twenty Soldiers followed him. Cloud narrowed his eyes at the blue-suited man. He too looked familiar. Cloud shook his head as a memory appeared there. The man's name was Reno, and he worked for Shinra. 

"Oh, it's you," Cloud said, trying to sound casual, though he was quite curious as to what a Turk was doing in a slum church.

Reno raised an eyebrow. "Right. I don't know you. Some Soldier traitor, I'd guess, by that Mako edge in your eyes," he said, "But regardless of who you are, you'd better not get in my way." Reno took and aggressive step forward and the Soldiers behind him rested their hands on their guns. Cloud instinctively reached for his broadsword.

"Wait! You can't fight in here! It'll ruin the flowers!" Aeris squealed before turning and bolting into the back room of the church. Cloud exchanged a final hard look with Reno before following Aeris out of the room. _Aeris may be a bit mysterious and air-headed, but I have no idea where I am so I'd better stick with her, he reasoned before following her into the back room._

"So Cloud," she began again once they were out of sight of the Soldiers, "Have you ever been a body guard?"

"Well, no actually," he confessed.

"But you were in Soldier, right? You seemed to know who those Shinra people were," Aeris pressed him.

"Yeah, I was in Soldier."

"Then you know about fighting! How would you like to be my body guard? Take me home?" she inquired innocently.

Cloud regarded her with slight suspicion. "I don't work for free, you know. It'll cost you," he answered.

"Ohhh is that how it is!" Aeris giggled, "Well in that case, I'll go out with you once if you agree to be my body guard!" Aeris felt very pleased with herself for making such a bold move; after all, it wasn't every day that nice-looking young men came crashing through your roof top.

Cloud raised an eyebrow at her incredulously, but Reno and his Soldiers barged in before he could answer.

"You know what? Let's just get out of here. Shinra people are never up to any good. Come on!" he said.

"Umm, the only way out is the front door!" she squeaked.

"Can you get on the roof from inside?" Cloud asked.

"I don't know, I've never been up there!"

"I bet there's a way. Let's go!"

Cloud took off up the stairs, running toward the roof. Like everything else in the slums, this church was on the verge of completely falling apart. Parts of the stairway had collapsed and old roof beams lay across them, creating rather treacherous footing. Aeris tried to keep up with him, but fell behind when he leapt over a six foot gap in the wooden walkway near the roof.

"I can't jump that far!" Aeris exclaimed.

"Just jump! They're catching up!" Cloud urged.

Aeris attempted the jump but fell miserably short. Luckily for her she landed a short way down on a fallen beam and slid most of the way back down to the floor. Cloud cursed under his breath. This escape was going to be a lot harder than he thought. 

Aeris screamed as she came to a rather rough landing on the wooden floor. She rose shakily to her feet and began to dust herself off. As she did so, she noticed the score of Soldiers that was rapidly closing in on her.

"Just come with us, Aeris. You are the last Ancient. You're very important," Reno said calmly.

Aeris shook her head, following the gut feeling she had not to trust him. Reno's eyes hardened. "Miss Gainsborough. We strongly recommend that you come with us," he said firmly.

Aeris gasped loudly and looked imploringly up at Cloud, who was practically on the roof by now.

"Just run, Aeris!" he called down to her. Aeris took off at surprising speed, darting back up the stairs. Reno made a slight gesture and the Soldiers leapt after her in pursuit. Aeris was faster than she looked, however, and managed to outrun the Soldiers. With a good running start she was able to clear the six foot gap through which she had fallen earlier. She finally caught up with Cloud and collapsed against him, gasping for breath. Cloud pushed her back onto her feet and indicated a hole in the roof as a way out. They made their way carefully across a maze of splintering rafters toward the hole. The hole was small, and they had to squeeze through one at a time. Cloud went first and had no trouble finding a foothold on the rough, uneven shingles. He pulled Aeris through after him.

"Whew! That should keep them away for a little while," he said to her.

"That was weird. Usually they're not so insistent and threatening," Aeris replied.

Cloud looked at her curiously. "You mean this isn't the first time they've come after you? What do they want with you?" he asked.

"They stop by the church a lot, actually. But usually it's a nice man named Tseng. He always admires my flowers and doesn't try to make me do anything. But that guy was mean!" Aeris pouted.

"So why are they following you around?" Cloud inquired again.

She shrugged. "I'm really not sure, actually. I don't even know who they are. All I know is that they're from Shinra, so I don't trust them."

"They're Turks, Shinra special operatives. They look for new recruits for Soldier. And they do all sorts of dirty work on the side," Cloud explained.

"Maybe they think I have what it takes to be in Soldier!" Aeris exclaimed. Cloud almost burst out laughing, but managed to hide it with a sudden fit of coughing. 

Aeris knew why Shinra was after her. They had been seeking her since the day she was born. She kept the reasons to herself, however, unsure of whom she could trust. Her adoptive mother, Elmira, was the only other person who knew about it. When she was little, Elmira had kept Aeris hidden from Shinra as best she could. Even though Aeris was twenty-two now, Elmira was still very protective of her, and afraid that she would end up with the same fate as her birth mother. 

Cloud looked at his surroundings from the vantage point of the roof. He saw the Turks leave the building through the front door, and could vaguely hear the sounds of Reno yelling at his troop of Soldiers. Houses and junk heaps were pushed up against one side of the church, gradually leading back down to the ground. 

"Come on Aeris, let's get down from here," said Cloud, carefully standing on the rickety shingles.

"Okay! Tell you what. Let's go to my house! It's pretty safe there," Aeris exclaimed. 

"Where is your house? And where are _we?" inquired Cloud, making his way to the other side of the roof. Aeris stumbled along behind him._

"Sector 6 for both questions," she replied, "so my house isn't far from here."

Cloud nodded and began leaping from across the tops of roofs and trash piles, which were as tall as many of the houses. After a several minutes he heard a cry from behind him. "Hey! Wait up!" It was Aeris. Obediently, Cloud stopped and waited for her. She caught up and gave him a disapproving look.

"Some bodyguard you are! Leaving me behind like that!" she pouted, arms crossed, panting for breath.

"Hey, I thought you had what it takes to be in Soldier," Cloud shot back.

Aeris glared at him a moment longer before tossing her long auburn braid over her shoulder and declaring, "Whatever. Let's just keep going." 

Cloud slowed his pace to match Aeris's, and as result it took quite sometime to make it back to the ground. Aeris dusted herself off and grabbed Cloud's hand. "Come on! My house is this way!" she exclaimed.

"Be careful, Aeris! There are all sorts of creatures and criminals that live around here," Cloud cautioned her.

"It's all right. I've lived in these slums my whole life so I'm used to danger," Aeris replied confidently. 

Cloud looked at her doubtfully. "Well in any case, just take this, so at least you might stand a small chance of defending yourself if we get attacked, which is likely," he said handing her a Fire materia.

Aeris's eyes went wide. "Materia! This actually _does something?"_

"Yeah. It's Fire materia. Just hold it in your hand and concentr-"

"I know how to use materia," Aeris interrupted.

Cloud raised a golden eyebrow skeptically. "Where'd you learn?"

"My mom taught me, before she died. Sorry I made it sound like I was ignorant of materia earlier. It's just that my materia doesn't _do anything," Aeris replied._

"I'm sure it does _something," reassured Cloud, "You just don't know how to use it."_

"I_ do know how to use it," Aeris responded defensively, "And mine is just useless. But I keep it because my mom gave it to me. It makes me feel safe somehow."_

"Can I see it?" Cloud inquired.

Aeris untied the decorative pink ribbon from the top of her braid and handed it to him. Attached to the ribbon was a near-translucent, milky white materia. As Cloud turned it over in his hand, it sparkled and seemed to make everything around it brighter.

"I'm sure we'll figure out what it does eventually. Now let's get going," Cloud said, handing Aeris her ribbon. 

They continued cautiously through the slums, Aeris slightly ahead, leading the way. Cloud gripped his broadsword, his eyes darting around for signs of movement. Despite his alertness, Aeris saw something he didn't and screamed loudly. Cloud jumped at the shrill sound, but quickly saw what had gotten such a reaction from her. Three creatures stood staring at them, alarmed by Aeris's scream. They were squat and ugly, though distinctly humanoid. Oily-looking, mottled greed skin covered their thin reptilian frames. Three pairs of dull yellow eyes examined them while three forked tongues flicked out to taste the air. Each was carry a shield and a spear. 

"Aeris! Shhh!" Cloud whispered, hoping that if they stood still and silent the lizard men wouldn't notice them. But it was too late. One of the lizard men pointed its spear at them, and all three charged forward. Aeris screamed again and jumped behind Cloud. Cloud lifted his broadsword to parry the first spear thrust. The spear was poorly made and broke in half on impact. Cloud swung the sword around and sliced through the lizard man's midsection. It collapsed to the ground, leaking runny greenish blood. Meanwhile, the other two lizard men had moved to each side of Cloud and were simultaneously charging at him. 

"Aeris! Use your materia!" he called urgently, reeling as felt a spear point rake a long deep scratch across his side. Even so, Cloud managed to slice the leg off one of the others. His movement was greatly slowed by his wound, however, and Cloud turned to see the final lizard man thrusting its spear at his throat. As he twisted out of the way, Cloud heard Aeris's soft voice: "Fire."

He looked to see Aeris standing with her eyes closed and arms extended, jets of flame leaping from each of her palms. They collided solidly with the lizard man, knocking it backwards away from Cloud. It made a horrible gurgling screech as its body was consumed by the fire. 

Aeris dusted herself off and helped Cloud to his feet. "You've been hurt," she said gravely.

"It's not that serious. Besides, we're almost to your house now, right?" Cloud replied. He had his hand pressed over the cut, but blood was beginning to seep between his fingers anyways. 

"Not too much farther. But don't try to rush; you should take it slow with an injury like that," Aeris said. 

"I just want to apologize again for doubting your ability to use materia. That was a pretty impressive Fire spell," Cloud said.

Aeris's cheeks turned the same shed of red as the jacket she wore and she giggled. "Thanks! See? I'm good for something!"


End file.
